Warm and Fuzzy Weekend!

How lucky are we to live in such a beautiful province?

Well...my George is on his way home to me - Yay!
To cure my missing him...This weekend I spent time with some rellies over in Powell River that I hadn't seen in much too long. It was one of those perfect visits - we laughed (a LOT! - thanks Robyn;), cried a little (there was a lot of sharing going on:), hiked, sang, danced, ate yummy food, had a few drinks, toured around, enjoyed the sun and really enjoyed each others' company. Someone told me this past summer that I was "easy company" and that's what the whole weekend felt like for me. Such an ease and comfort being with these lovely people that seem to 'get' me.
Loved the positivity - loved the hospitality - loved the LOVE!
Thanks you guys! More pix on my flickr page How was your weekend?

Happy Love Thursday!

My love is in Paris, the city of love - tourist-ing around with some girl from the US of A that he met at his training session there and I'm trying hard not to be jealous. Good thing I trust him with all my heart. Maybe my jealousy is more about wishing it was me walking there beside him, holding hands, looking up at the Eiffel Tower from so many points in the city - Yes!...that's what it is, all right!
It's good sometimes, tho', to have these 'apart' experiences. We get to reconnect at the end with fresh eyes, new stories, appreciation for what we've created together and the wisdom gained from spending time on our own. I can't wait for that part:) I'm sure I'll have some of my own stories to share with him.
Happy Love Thursday to you all. I wish for you many special moments of love!

Swap till you Drop!

This is how I feel sometimes - despite having a clothing store. Some days, it just feels like nothing in my closet suits my mood/need/desires! Perfect time for a clothing swap with the girls. If you've never done it, I highly recommend it. Especially if you have any friends who buy great clothes and end up not wearing them and they're around your size:):) Also great incentive to clear out your closet to make room for those new items. Anything that isn't chosen through the evening was handily donated to the local charity bin. Win-Win-Win!

Leftovers, clothing swap, giggles with the girls...

That's my plan for this evening. Tea and cookies too. Hope I score something good in the swap!

The Day Ahead...

http://letmeaxeyousomthin.blogspot.com/

Sunday, Sunday...

Well...I have some fun things happening today. Lunch with a friend. My nephew's hockey game - he's a superstar!
George has apparently landed safe and sound in Paris - whew. How did we ever survive in a world without cell phones/internet?
I have to send a big thanks to Cynthia for hosting my 2nd BeautiControl party yesterday. I think she may post some fun pix but you'll have to check out her blog to see:) It was great to meet her new puppy (sooooo cute!) (I stole this pic from Cynthia's site)

and hang out with some great women! It was quite a trek out to Mission but quite a beautiful drive once you know which way you're going (my navigation skills were put to the test - not my best feature:).
Hope you all enjoy this beautiful day! Will catch up with you later...

Reprieve!!!

Well...we worked out - but not in the rain - since our good friend Bear (who only lives across the street:) cleared her living room for us. Don't think we wimped out tho'. We still got our asses kicked! yay us...
And the reward? Coffee afterwards and then chicken noodle soup at the Vietnamese place on the corner - perfect start to the rainy day.

Tonight - date night with my George as he'll be leaving me for Paris tomorrow for 10 days!!! Lucky him - sad me:(

And on another note - I just found this website which I think is very entertaining - let me know what you think. The US election is definitely holding my interest this time 'round!

It's raining, it's pouring...

and we have boot camp this morning!!! I'm half tempted to crawl back into my warm cozy bed and half exhilirated about challenging myself to do this. Ok maybe it's more 3/4 to 1/4 but who's keeping score here??? Wish me luck!

Random Facts About Me

I was tagged by Barb and Cynthia so I guess I'd better do this:)
Here are the rules:
Link to the person who tagged you. Post the rules on your blog. Write six random things about yourself. Tag six people at the end of your post. Let each person know he or she has been tagged. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

**Random Facts About Me**

1. I started smoking in elementary school - ew! I then quit for good about 20 years ago.
2. I always wanted to be a schoolteacher when I was a young girl - I even made my own workbooks.
3. I want to own a dog but I'm too scared to commit!
4. I'm hyper-sensitive to caffeine. A cup of coffee first thing in the morning could very well mean no sleeping that night - unless I'm on holidays which for some reason seems to exempt me.
5. I was "Farrah" in our Charlie's Angel trio in high school. I never did get that flip quite right tho'.
6. I met Whoopi Goldberg. I know I put this in my last meme but couldn't find the pic so here ya go...I'm tagging Tamara , Denise and Carol. I also still owe K8 the Gr8 a meme which I'd totally forgotten about. Oops, I'll get right on that:)

Thanks!

After a weekend filled with delicious meals, I have to give thanks for the abundance of food in my life. How blessed are we that we can celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, romantic evenings, Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving and so many more occasions with a bounty of food choices at our disposal. When the big decision becomes whether you're going to have turkey or ham on your platter over the holidays, it's certainly a time to take note and give thanks when so much of the rest of the world has to be satisfied with the bare basics just to survive.
We received a note and photo from one of our sponsored children in Sudan at the end of last week. I couldn't help but think of him and his hardworking mother over the weekend and wonder what they might be having for their dinner. I'm trying hard to appreciate my full life without going to that other place of guilt or not being deserving. There is definitely enough to go around...but...Do we do enough to help those who are not as fortunate? Do I? This year and next, I intend to try harder. There are so many ways to give back. What are your thoughts? I hope you had a great Thanksgiving.

The Milnes (G's folks and uncle) enjoying our ham, mashed potatoes, baked yams, corn and beets dinner

It's a Dog's Life!

Well, we had our quick and crazy little getaway to Sechelt/Gibsons. Stayed at the most beautiful B&B called Hot Tamales Bay. You should definitely check it out if you get a chance! Did some shmoozing/networking/chatting/eating/drinking and then yesterday, stopped in at Barb's friends' place for a drink on the way to the ferry.
They have a doggie hotel called Happy Tails Ranch in Gibsons and when we arrived, we were loudly and lovingly greeted by 16 dogs of all shapes and sizes!!! Not being used to dogs so much, this freaked me out a bit - but in a good way. It was so funny to have all of these lovely creatures so excited and happy to see me - and lick my face, and sniff me and stuff...
Here are some pix of them in their happy place!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.
I know I feel blessed every day and have so many things to feel greatful for. Don't forget to take a moment to reflect on all of the wonderful things, beings, moments in your life.
Homeward bound...

Going on a Roadtrip...

Barb and I are heading off to Sechelt after bootcamp this morning to meet some ladies about doing some biz together. Our hosts have promised us dinner, drinks, hot tub and a comfy b&b stay. I'm so glad that it's going to be another beautiful day!
I'm so looking forward to this mini getaway. Happy Wednesday to you...

Fall Harvest and Running for the Cure!

Another jam-packed weekend!

Friday night I picked up our tees and numbers at the Running Room on Broadway for the Sunday run and since we were already in the 'hood, we decided to revisit one of our favourite restaurants, The Red Door on Granville Street. Seven Flavour Beef, Red Door Sweet Chili Chicken, Sichuan Beans=delicious.

Saturday morning the sun gods prevailed and let us enjoy a great game of golf at Musqueum with our friends, Lorraine and Greg. I GOT A BIRDY!!! The downpour came as soon as we got to the sponsoring Cheshire Cheese Inn/bar. These guys put on a great tournament with fantastic goody bags, lunch and prizes for everyone. So much fun!

Sunday morning came early and once again we were blessed with another dry day. George drove Sandy and I down to Concord Pacific Place to join about 13,000 others who were going to run/walk/roll/raise cash for the cure. I have to say, 5 km is so much easier than 10. That sounds obvious but...I really like the 5k. Not that it was easy by any means, but we met our goal of running 4/walking 1 for the whole time and came in just under 40 minutes. Considering that this was the longest I've run this year, not too bad! What an amazing event to be a part of. So many stories of survival, so many others honoring ones who didn't make it. My favourite moments? Getting hugs from the "free hugs" sign holders, the amazing choir at the start/finish line, seeing my friends cheering me on from the side line, the bands along the way, the male sprinter wearing the fushia prom dress (a great distraction at the 3 km mark!), crossing the finish line strong, and getting to know a new friend! Our hearty brunch was well-earned. Thanks to all of you who supported me with good wishes, donations and cheers at the start line! So much appreciated:)
Now...off to bootcamp. OMG - my legs are tired!

Warning - extreme graphic violence!

Well, maybe I have an unusually sensitive psyche but this movie disturbed me for days after seeing it. It wasn't something that I'd been looking forward to seeing - it was a free movie matinee through a friends' work. (I'm not mentioning names here to protect the innocent:) I'd never heard of it and had no idea what we were in for. I'll tell you what we got - incredibly violent and graphic violence from the first scene to the last. I almost walked out half way through but it would have disrupted too many people (in hindsight, I should've just left anyway). The storyline was actually interesting and the acting definitely impressive but did the close-up, graphic, blood-splattering violence enhance the movie in any way for me? Absolutely not! The movie? Pride and Glory Just so you know...

And now for something a bit lighter - It's Love Thursday...so take a moment today to say thank you, smile at the stranger walking towards you on the street, lend a helping hand and embrace the love that surrounds you! Happy Day to you...

If you're looking for some Spa products...

http://www.beautipage.ca/bodalorna/