Halloween, diversion and little ones

1 Fireworks have been going off all evening. It's late and people are still in the Halloween spirit.
2 He laughs when it's time to go through security at the airport. He knows I'll smile at his antics instead of tears.
3 Last year we had no trick or treaters but this year 33 little ones came to our door. I especially enjoyed Snow White and the little lady bug who was about a year and a half and would only wear the antennae! 

day, cutting and waitress

1 We eased into the day with coffee, tea and good talk.
2 He thoroughly enjoys being the 'chain saw guy'. We now have pruned grapes, a large branch is not blocking the driveway area anymore and sadly a plum tree is gone. Next turnaround we'll get rid of the stump and plant a new fruit tree. I'm leaning towards a plumcot.
3 The waitress was in fine form, chatting about her family and stories of Taiwan. She's always pleasant when we're in their establishment.

excursion, bidding and dating

1 Our excursion to the car auction netted us a new used car. 
2 The bidding process was so exciting. My heart was pounding and I could barely breathe! It was so fun! Thank god we had a cut off price!
3 Lunch at Lefty's! Excellent meal with my guy. I love dating my husband!

robin, showers and a mixture

1 I enjoy working with Robin. She has a good heart, tries very hard and shows genuine interest in people. She could be a good friend.
2 The weather is blustery and blows leaves in every direction. Showers of red, yellow and green swirl around me as I walk to the beach and back on my lunch break.
3 We find a local pub to have our dinner. It's full of characters. There's a table full of young men who initially are rather tame but progressively get louder the more they drink; two elderly men who continuously tell each other they should go home even as they order another pint of beer and finally two older women. One woman is larger and drinks beer while the other slightly older woman drinks red wine and chews gum with her mouth wide open. Our home town locals are a mix and a half.

too much, simple and more

1 Too many things to think about. He listens, hugs and comforts.
2 Dinner is simple but shared.
3 More apple crisp for him to indulge on.

schedule, lunch and a bit of both

1 My work schedule has changed and I'm a little unsure of what to do next. I've asked the new supervisor to clarify it with my other boss. I'm hoping I don't rock the boat too much.
2 We have a very brief lunch at the beach. It's so windy and rainy you can hardly see the ocean and beachfront but still, we're at the beach.
3 We watch a movie together and don't fall asleep. That's either because we watch it early in the evening, it's a good movie that keeps our attention or a bit of both.

reconnecting, occupy and husband food

1 We both sleep late and luxuriate in the feeling of lazing around and just talking to each other.
2 Today he wants to visit an occupy site. It's a bit cool and windy but we check it out, talk to a few people and try to envision solutions for some of the issues. It would be good to hear most positives. Tomorrow we'll see about attending one of their public forums and hearing what others have to say.
3 Rosemary, garlic lamb sausages, green beans and brussel sprouts for dinner with apple crisp and ice cream for dessert. He hasn't eaten a home cooked meal in a very long time.

smile, packages and arrival

1 It's a typical Monday. Lots of grumpy people. I let someone go in line in front of me and you can tell she doesn't want to smile her thank you but does.
2 Packages are boxed, addressed and mailed away. I'm hoping those that receive them will be pleased by the contents.
3 It's late by the time his flight arrives. I'm standing right in the front so he can see me when he comes through the doors. He sweeps me into his arms and twirls me around. 

care packages, autumn and fish

1 Two care packages are carefully boxed up and sent to their destinations on the bus. I remember my mom sending me mine. It always thrilled me that she would put so much thought and effort into sending me some 'home'.

2 The colours of the leaves are breathtaking and the sun warm on my face. I wander along the sea wall enjoying the smell of the sea and my own company.
3 Pirate chips! Yes, it was filling and delicious. And no, I couldn't eat it all.

rain, rain and rain

1 It rains on and off today, giving me just enough time in between to get in and out of my car without getting drenched.
2 The cats are much happier inside away from the wind and rain. One curls up on the love seat and the other finds a warm spot on the sheepskin rug under Russ's desk.
3 The sound of rain and wind pounding outside is oddly soothing. I close my eyes and I drift away.

meeting, books and blessings from Isabelle

1 I enjoyed meeting and going over some potential business ideas with a coach. He listens well and asks those specific leading questions.
2 There are three books worth reading he says, 'The Art of the Start', 'Ignite the Third Factor' and 'The One Minute Manager'
3 We have a chance to Skype tonight. She gets pretty excited to see me on the big tv screen. She is busy showing me things, sharing her blanket with me and when it's time to go I move so she can see me at her level on the screen and she comes over and kisses me goodnight. What a blessing. 

work, migraine and treat

1 Work: games and angst but in the end cooler heads prevailed.
2 Migraine: his gentleness is welcome.
3 Treat: All the staff had a taste of my homemade salsa, sour cream and nacho chips.

hunger, warmth and listeners

1 When hunger hits sometimes it gnaws in the pit of my stomach. Tonight a strange concoction of ground meat, mushrooms, veggies and cheese soothed my belly.
2 The house has the feeling of bone chilling cold when I get home from work. I cuddle into the big rocking chair and turn on the electric blanket the kids gave me for Christmas. My toes are warm, finally!
3 I have people in my life who listen. I mean the kind of people who care enough to listen to my whining and drivel and still say, 'I love you or it's okay" Sometimes they ask questions, sometimes they nod or say uh huh, but they are really hearing me. I have listeners in my life.

middle, days and real

1 It's the middle of October but the sun shone and warmed up the earth here today. 17C was a very pleasant surprise.
2 Counting down the days, yet again, but he's home in 6 days.
3 Getting a text message with real gratitude. 

an assortment, list and home soon

1 The apples are all finally picked. Buckets and buckets have been given away. Now we've some left for us. Apple crisp, apple slices for pie (both frozen) and apples to eat.

2 It's one of those days where I did only a few of the things on my to do list but things that should have been on the list got done!


3 He's got another cold so our conversation is mostly luvin's for him. He's home a week today.

cleaned up gardens, rose and a call

1 The gardens need putting to bed for the winter. Nine overflowing wheelbarrows to the trailer and although I love how the gardens look when they 're full of flowers, this cleaned up garden is lovely too.

2 A rose is hiding under all the ivy. It now has some space and room to grow. 

3 A call from a friend whom I haven't talked to in months. What a wonderful surprise to catch  up on her news and talk a little bit about where we used to work together, politics and her new cats!

occupy, we went second and new people

1 There were lots of people from every walk of life today at the "Occupy" event that I went to. Peaceful, powerful and full of promise.

2 The banquet was fun! Decorated in union colours, food by "The Good Cooking Guys" and great company at the table. I particularly liked that the two women I work with can have fun and joke around. But best thing was out of 15 tables in the random 'who goes first to the buffet" was that we were 2nd! yay
3 John and Glenda are from Texeda Island. It took them 5 hours and 3 ferry rides to get to the party but they made it. Nice people with an interesting life story. So glad to have met them.

he passed, exceeding expectations and superstar?

1 The call comes late in the day. She sounds so sad and tells the story of how things just didn't work out. The questions were different and he just didn't pass. Then they dissolve into fits of giggles and she says...."He PASSED"!!! Lots of excitement and happiness in that car. He has his LLQP license and has been hired to work for The Knights of Columbus. Thank you all for your prayers.
2 Work was great! The rep tells me that the boss in Victoria thought that I'd only get half of the work done because I am so new at it all. I threw them all a surprise curve ball. I got all the work done plus some extras! 
3 She thanked me many times and called me a superstar. I'll take it even if it is slightly exaggerated. :-)

vision, start and cheese

1 The optometrist does her magic and with my new progressive rigid contacts I can see perfectly. They order the new prescription and they'll be here in about a week. Clear vision...can't wait!
2 The gardens, well part of the gardens got a pruning today. There are piles all over the yard that need picking up and more to be done. But it's a start!
3 Swiss cheese that's low sodium! yumm

outside, deluge and family time

1 I spend time today in the gardens, mowing, clipping and tossing out the end of season hanging baskets. Soon I'll tackle the backyard.
2 I'd finished mowing the larger portion of the garden and was starting to mow the section with the fruit trees and all of a sudden felt a few mini droplets of rain. I'm saying the mantra (Please don't pour til I'm done, please don't pour til I'm done) in my head while I'm feverishly mowing. I'm hurrying as fast as i can. As I'm putting the mower into the garden shed it turns into a deluge. Thank you Mother Nature for being patient.

3 Because of the uncertainty of the flight attendants strike he decides to re-book his flight and instead heads into the city. He spends time first with his niece and then his brother and sister in law. It's good to spend family time.

the look, rain, thanks and prayers

1 I love the look of this restaurant. It's on my bucket list.
2 First rain, then sun, then mist and more rain. Island living at its finest. I love the rain.
3 He calls tonight just to tell me he'd heard on the news that the flight attendants strike has been averted, 'for now'. Even though it was a diversion from studying (his words) he calls and keeps it brief. Thanks!
4 Sending prayers his way. Please pray for him to pass the exam. Thanks!

monday, shop and food

1 It's Monday and the actual day of Thanksgiving. So we do the traditional thing and head to the shops! Lunch and a brief look about before we head home.
2 The soap shop is lovely! All natural and luscious scents. My favourite is Lemongrass.
Rocky Mountain Soap Company
3 They sent me home with leftovers...Yes! The entire turkey leg, cranberry sauce, some white meat, sausage and regular stuffing, corn pudding, yams, spuds, brussel sprouts...omg I am re-stuffed! Love it.. thank you so much!

open, hilarious and thankful

1 Rip and Flo are amazing people. I am so touched by their generosity and willingness to open their home and hearts to me.
2 Penny is hilarious. She is simultaneously outspoken and humorous. 
3 There is so much to be thankful for. Home, heart, family, love...today is a good good day.

on time, the day and gigglers

1 I left on time! How did that happen? The morning went relatively smoothly and I enjoyed the drive down south.
2 We spent the afternoon together. We have a late lunch at Swan's, walkabout downtown, shop at MEC and then a walk at Willows Beach. Thoroughly enjoyable.
3 My best friend and I have the giggles. We are at her mom and dad's place so we make sure we don't keep them up by going downstairs. The conversation goes sideways right from the beginning and we dissolve into fits of giggling. I can't remember laughing so much with her. She is my best friend.

musical, purging and never enough

1 I like listening to Randy Bachman on Friday night CBC radio. He likes to play music connected to topics and ideas. Nice banter too.
2 My closet is cleaned out. Summer clothing is put away and fall/winter is on the shelves and hanging up. A large orange garbage bag found itself full of clothes and shoes and made its' way to the thrift shop. Yes! I do love purging.
3 The rule is if you haven't worn it in a year it's outta here. hmmm Note to self: You have enough clothes! But a girl never has enough shoes ;-)

frog, apples and the lineup

1 It was very quiet here. The frog is making a big racket with his bellowing. I wonder if he's mating or just calling everyone for dinner.
2 The apples are big and ripe and juicy. Small, medium and large sizes. My favourite is the large ones. You need two hands to hold one.
3. The nurse tries hard to make sure that everyone is seen in a timely fashion. I have had my shot before the rush, so I am just on the sidelines people watching. One man is impatient; he's at the back of the line. A man and his son banter about a school trip and take turns on the iPhone. And then there is the elderly gentleman in the waiting room. He just sighs a lot. But when it's his turn, he struggles to get up. He's lucky though, he's got a nephew to help him. 

cats, greedy and plan

1 The cats greet me enthusiastically today. I think hunger is a great incentive for them.
2 Later the greedy beasts come snuggle with my in the big comfy chair. One on each side, loud purring and lots of petting. 
3 He's putting effort into his new plan. I like his enthusiasm and initiative. 

work options, talking and plans

1 I realize that I have to make a change with my work options. So, I'm in a temporary position that will allow me to do my work for project management. I'm giving up my flexibility but will gain by learning new procedural and upper management methodology. 
2 It was an enjoyable conversation with camaraderie, joviality and much amusement.  A very fun chat.
3 Our skype conversation lasted an hour and three quarters. We had a lot to say and even the silences are comfortable. We make more plans for his turn around time and  book another flight. Yes. This is very good.

waking, talking and looking

1 Waking up to my husband and having an extra 15 minutes of snuggling before I have to get up and ready for work.
2 Talking to both of my sons and realizing how very grown up they both are and being incredibly proud.
3 An invite to spend time with my best friend in Victoria sounds wonderful! I'm so looking forward to it!

leaving, ferry and itinerary

1 The weekend passes too quickly. Suddenly it's time to go home again and we're off. The trip home is quiet for a while, then we have a lively discussion followed by quiet and finally food!

2 There is time to eat and walk about before the next ferry arrives. We enjoy fish stew and fresh salmon dinners. As per our usual methodology, we trade dinners after one bite each!
3 We thought he'd spend the night at a hotel but on second thought he comes home for one more night. We make travel plans for the morning; taxi, seaplane, shuttle, jet and finally he'll drive his truck back to the work site.

south, volcano and curry

1 A trip south shows us a different lay of the land. One filled with gardens and orchards and places to explore. We both like what we see.
2 We go close to the top of an extinct volcano. There is moss and trees on one side, steep cliffs on the other. I had a hand to hold on to.
3 A curry dish that is very satisfying was our special treat from the kids. It was great to see all the progress on the unpacking and moving in.