Saturday and Sunday

1 Traveling through to the interior this time is a leisurely drive with good roads but big strong winds.
2 They are ready and waiting for me when I arrive a little darling girl and boy are sleeping. When she wakes she sees me and says, "What are you doing here, and where's Grandpa?"
3 We have time to catch up on a few things and settle in for some snuggles.
4 Little Kes goes to sleep easily but Izzy has a bit of trouble so I sit by her bed while she settles herself for the night. At one point she turns to me and just gazes, ready to drift to never land and sweet dreams. 
5 She turns to me and says oh so quietly and sweetly, "I love you". After I tell her I love you two lovey, she closes her eyes and goes to sleep.
6 In the morning she knocks on my door and says, "It's Isabelle. I need to come in and see  you. Please Grama." Who could possibly resist that?

early morning, at the stylist, and dollar days

1 We are up at 5:30 this morning for an early flight. The birds sure are busy at that time of morning.
2 I've decided on a new hairstyle. Well, it's really just a longer version of what I've been wearing for a while now. The stylist does a great job of trimming and shampooing and blow drying, fluffing and ironing, spraying and primping. It's a fun hour.
3 There are lots of stuff on sale at the grocery store and lots of items are just a dollar. Mangoes, baskets of strawberries, celery, skewers of prawns, cod and much more. Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full!

wordless wednesday

birds eye view, light, and two hands

1 He stands very still right beside and hummingbird feeders and the birds are so busy chasing each other they don't even notice him. It's a thrilling experience.
2 Even though he's on a break from work he still takes the time to put up a new light fixture in the kitchen. When the old one comes down we see that the previous owners just painted around the fixture so there's another shade showing. Time to paint!
3 A little hand holding goes a long way. ♥

itinerary, working together, and x marks the spot

1 What a fun and busy day. Appointments, getting and delivering baseboards for the rental house, buying supplies for fixing our camper, then a stop at "Smokin' George's BBQ', more shopping, ice cream (caramel sundae really) and finally home. Yah nice to get out and about and have someone special to do it with.
2 We spend time in the kitchen each night. While I'm making dinner or baking cookies, he installs our new blinds. It takes much longer than one might expect because there is a lot of nibbling on foods and we keep getting side tracked with all sorts of shenanigans.
3 The little jobs are getting done. Love crossing things off of a list.

Sunday morning thoughts~

May I be filled with loving kindness
May I be well
May I be peaceful and at ease
May I be happy

fun again, convo, and just the eight of us

1 So yesterday my train of thought was must train harder, really? Today's run just wasn't as much fun thinking of times, so it's time to go back to what really means something; running because it feels good and it's fun.
2 Our conversation is long and varied. There are lots of things to talk about, some serious, some funny and others just plain silly
3 A Skype call with the grandbabies. One is bouncing off of the walls and the other is smiling and mellow. Both are beautiful. We are doing it again tomorrow this time with everyone and hopefully the two in China too.

faster please, attachment issue, and treats

1 A running program that tells me what my time should be for the 5k according to age. For me, it says it should be 41 minutes,  my run is usually 50. hmmm must train harder
2 As soon as he comes home the cat becomes attached all over again. Tonight she's lying on his desk with her body on top of the papers and her head hanging over the edge. She doesn't look all that comfortable yet she's purring so she must be.
3 We treat ourselves to dinner at one of our favourite restaurants. He has seared tuna and mine is sirloin and prawns. His is definitely better.

tuesday, wednesday, and thursday

1 Tuesday is the sunniest day we've had for the past few weeks. And how do I judge this you ask? My answer is by how many layers I have to take off before the end of my run.
2 Three tomato plants are happily adapting to their new home in our greenhouse.
3 I get the assignment done in record time and receive a reply just as quickly. Things are moving fast. 
4 Looking forward to the e-coaching job. It means later work hours to accommodate the moms I am working with because they are in China.
5 Their plans are changing daily but hopefully they'll be able to come for a holiday, a long holiday this summer.
6 He is home. 
7 A dinner of seared tuna steaks that have been marinated in olive oil and lemon and served with mango salsa and big glasses of red wine.
8 There is a lot of business items to attend to today. Lots of atta girls for me today, from me.
9 Our Izzy is crazy for Grampa. He says  hello to her on the telephone and suddenly she's talking a mile a minute, running, jumping and showing off for him. He is patient with her thinking she'll settle, eventually she does and he gets a chance to talk to her mom too.

outside, cookies, and on pause

1 Mow the lawns, wash the patio and hot tub area, water plants, seed more beauties, water some more, and so it goes. Love spring!
2 Girl Guide cookies and tea. The perfect after dinner treat. I especially like the vanilla ones so I save the chocolate for Russ. He is a chocoholic so perfect for his tea.
3 Izzy's mom says time out is not about punishment, it's a 'pause in the chaos.' She uses a glitter bottle that her mom made called a "mind bottle" that is her timer. Once shook up, it takes roughly 5 minutes to have all the glitter settle.

Sunday, all about hummingbirds

sell me, buzzing, and take action

1 She is a delightful woman who is a great salesperson. She is quick to respond, quicker to plant the seed and gracious in defeat.
2 Hummingbird heaven. This morning the feeders were again refilled. Tonight they were both down about four inches and the flyers were in abundance. At one point they sounded like bees, swarming but looking up there were six feeding and more in the trees. 
3 It spurred me into action. I got on the computer and found some clips on my camera that were exactly what was on the 'to learn list.'

thinking forward, time, and overtime

1 Sometimes the things we expect don't materialize but we can be confident and grateful that things will be better. 
2 The new timing/accountability program for my work schedule is great. It lets me breakdown the various tasks that need doing and clocks the time doing it, and finally create a report either daily, weekly,or monthly.
3 The e coaching orientation was informative and factual. It was the first time the team lead had given a powerpoint presentation so it was half of an hour longer than what was scheduled. She did alright and most likely learned some new skills for monitoring her time.

plans, courageous, connect two, and more to do

1 Our plans are taking shape. This week we work on a two week plan with milestones, benchmarks and deadlines. The objective is to put new things into the toolbox that will be workable long after our coaching ends. 
1a She tells me I have courage.
2 Two connections are made sitting at the lab. One turns out to be a neighbour and the other has a brother working on the same project as Russ thousands of miles away. Six degrees of separation it seems.
3 A local farmers market asks to use some of my photos in their ads and website; a shoot setup with a trendy Japanese restaurant. Sometimes ideas take shape and get momentum on their own it seems. We just have to be open to receiving.

just a bit, motivation, and funny

1 What do you do when someone is needing a hug but it's just not that kind of friendship? Girl Guide cookies and a card, of course. 
2 The walk is brisk and easy and there's just enough sunshine to keep me warm and motivated to stay moving.
3 It's funny how a cat can understand that this particular sound is a can opening but isn't able to know when it's for her or for me. 

greedy feeders, power, and critiques

1 Despite the misty rainy day the birds are at it again today. They seem to be doing a bit of a head job on the main gatekeeper of the feeder. One bird flies over and distracts him, he flies off and two come to feed. But not for long. The big boy is back in record time shooing them away. The feeders have to be refilled every other day now.
2 The power is out this afternoon for about four hours. The house has a lovely sound to it with no technical white noise just the crackling of the fire, the rain on the sky lights and turning pages as I read.
3 I am my sharpest critic. Bad because I can self sabotage, good because it means I can do better. 

take your vitamins, slowly, and sleep well my love

1 The weather was for a cloudy, rainy day but the weatherman got it all wrong! Yay. The skies are blue, the sun is shining and my body is greedily absorbing the Vitamin D!
2 Some of the seeds are starting to sprout..peas, beans and sunflowers. The others seem to be taking their sweet time.
3 Our call is short and he sounds exhausted today. This labour job is really knocking him on his butt. He says he came back to his place from work, slept and then called me. After he eats he's going right back to bed for the night. Ah, hard work and fresh air combination equals a deep sleep.

wake up!, bouncy, and the littlest sprite

1 Up early with the birds. The little darlings are busy with their morning chatter. 
2 The ferry heads to the little island and the whitecaps make for a bouncy ride. The van in front of me must have poor shocks because their van is a rockin'!
3 Her little girls are adorable. The littlest one can't decide if I am just visiting or the new babysitter.Eventually she warms up and is playful and a real sprite.

new goal, bookworm, and to see his face

1 This run was the best one in ages. It isn't easy when you take a few days off but what a great pay off when it's done. The goal is to do a km in 8 minutes. So 40 minutes for the Goddess Run is the goal. 
2 The book club has started a new read. The Language of Flowers. So far it's got my attention. Has anyone read this book and if so, what's your take on it?
3 Oh, he looks so good, to see his face all full of smiles and tanned from working outside. He's been away since March 19, so it feels amazing to see him tonight. Short and sweet, the man is dog tired. 

more to do, he sounds happier, and images in pink

1 There is much more to do, research, photo manipulation, copy writing and on  and on it goes. But, it's so exciting. 
2 He says that he's exhausted, this time in a good way. Working hard, in the great outdoors with lots of fresh air means he has had his workout all day. No need for a gym he says.
3 The pink yarn is light and delicate, reminding me of cotton candy or a tulle skirt. I picture her wearing this next to her delicate skin rubbing her cheek against its softness.

cool, lie down, and grizzlies

1 When it's time for a run the rain begins. There is a cool dampness on my face and through my clothing.The cool feeling lasts well into the early afternoon.
2 The lawns have many spots of moss some larger than others. One particular spot is so soft and cushy that it reminds me of a duvet and invites me to lie down.
3 He tells me that it was an exciting day. The night before the grizzlies had come into the camp and had created a wee bit of damage control for the morning. A large roll of rope was moved up the mountain and unwound all over, a small vehicle for transporting people had been left on the grounds and the bears had taken out one of the seats and trashed it. Thankfully they've had training on dealing with the bears, carry horns and bear spray. I ask him to have careful fun with them.

gardens, sprinkles, and creativity

1 The gardens are planted. All done and ready for mother nature to let the sun come out a bit more. The most interesting thing planted this year was 
Scallopini-Squash-(Summer-Squash). It looks like it's as hearty as zucchini or squash and is a big producer. I've planted three seeds. We will see what happens now.
2 The sprinkler system is a go. It just needed a bit of time to get itself reset and it's working great. A few heads need to be added and some need fixing but all in due time.
3 It's all about the creativity process. Step by step it's slowly emerging as a reality.

getting there, the two of them, and do you know the answer for you?

1 We meander down Island Highway and let the other cars speed by. It seems we aren't going fast enough for most but we are fast enough for us. 

2 Her parents are two of the most wonderful hospitable people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting and it was wonderful to see them again today.

3 The question that keeps coming up is, "how do you show up?"

visitors, luncheon, and pampering

1 We visit G's aunt who is in her 90s, living independently, full of humor and still have lots of stories. She's a lively gal.
2 Lunch at the Boathouse is not only delicious but the perfect spot for us to enjoy sun and boats and the marina. Love eating oceanside.
3 The spa is perfect. It's a soak in the mineral pool followed by foot massage, hot wax and pedicures.