This is such a perfect little piece of wisdom and such a lovely picture that I'm thinking of printing it and keeping one at the office and one on my fridge at home. I've also e-mailed a copy to my Sweetheart, because let's face it, all of us in relationships end up getting miffed at our significant others every once in a while. If this has never happened in your relationship, than either you or your significant other should be up for Sainthood!!!
I know, I know, I dropped off the radar screen for a bit, but Christmas is definitely not a quiet time for me. It is very long and very tiring. That's what you get for working in a church, take the build-up to Christmas, multiply it by 10 and there you have what happens to me every year. That's why I always get all my Christmas shopping done by November. If I don't, it won't get done.
Anyhow, I did want to drop in and wish you all a very Merry Christmas.
I'll be off to work for the last time for two weeks in a bit, tonight is going to be a very busy night for us, we are going to handling five masses in the span of six hours, each one lasting about an hour and half and three of them will be attended by close to two thousand people. That's a lot of crowd control, but at least I'll be working upstairs in the Basilica and will be treated to hearing our boys' choir sing mass twice in a row. They sing beautiful traditional Christmas songs (no Jingle Bell Rock or Frosty the Snowman this evening, thank Heavens!), including the Minuit Chrétien (Oh Holy Night). I've included a video of boys' choir performing this French Canadian favorite in 2009 below.
On that note, Merry Christmas once again and I truly hope that you enjoy this moment with your family and friends :-)
One of my favorite Christmas traditions if the broadcast of the Ceremony of Nine Lessons and Carols from King's College, Cambridge in the U.K. Here are the carols from the 2010 edition.
First off, the above YouTube video is of a performance of a song that was sung at the annual CBC Christmas Sing-In that was held at the Church of St.Andrew and St.Paul here in Montreal this afternoon. It was my second time going to the Sing-In with my friend G. We tried to go last year as well, but didn't make it in as the church was packed to capacity a half hour before the sing-in even began. The Sing-In is always lots of fun and I love how their repertoire is a mix of traditional pieces and more contemporary ones like this piece. It is well worth a listen if you have the time! The idea behind the Sing-In by the way is to raise funds for a non-profit organization by inviting people to a performance of the St.Andrew and St. Paul's church choir (who are fabulous!) and giving the audience a chance to participate by singing along with the more well known songs. If ever you are in Montreal early in December, you should see if you can make it, but be sure to arrive at least an hour to an hour and a half before the beginning of the event to line up or you may not make it into the church!
On another note, I had a very busy week at work last week with lots of tours and phone calls and this week is looking like it is going to be the same as well. Except for the part where we're getting our first big snow storm of the year tomorrow and I will therefore be getting out of the tour I was supposed to be giving in the morning, thank Heavens! I normally enjoy giving tours, but I've really had my fill of them for now especially since most of them have been for teens who look like they would rather chew grass than visit a church. Teens are not an easy crowd. The only way to get through a tour with them (anyplace at all, because I've also given tours in museums and they would rather chew grass than visit those as well) is to act like you don't care that they don't care, otherwise they get the best of you and you're toast. They'll walk all over you and the teacher will complain to your superior, but if your superior knows anything about giving tours to teens, he'll show sympathy and let you off the hook. Act like you don't care that they don't care though and they'll typically grant you the favor of at least keeping quiet and not texting during the tour and the teacher will think you're great and come up and tell you so. So there you go, I was supposed to give a tour to some high school kids tomorrow and am now quite glad to know that I will not have to. Tours three days out of five instead of four makes a big difference.
Not too much new aside from that. I went out to a Christmas market that was being held at the Palais des Congrès in Old Montreal yesterday and got birthday and Christmas gifts for my Sweetheart. He is turning 30 on Wednesday (I'm next in two months, yikes!) and I think he's a bit leery of it. I'm sure he'll like his gift though. We didn't get to spend much time together last week because he had a lot of work to do, but we went to the 30th birthday party of a friend of mine from high school (we're all getting there at once, so that helps!) on Friday and he stayed over at my place and then last night after my shopping I went to his place for dinner. I'm hoping to spend more time with him this week than I did last week!
So that's it for this week, but to finish off here is one of a series of photos I took while I was out last night. It is of the trees decorated for Christmas on McGill College Avenue with one of Montreal's landmark skyscrapers, Place Ville-Marie, in the background with it's strobe lights shining in the low clouds.
First off, above is a very educational video about Montrealers' habits in the Winter. It's snowing tons? Meh, no big deal. Go out anyhow, no point in letting it change our habits, otherwise we're going nowhere until April! And in this respect, I am speaking of true Montrealers, those who live near enough the Downtown core that they do not need to take the highway to get home, let alone a bridge. Anyone who needs the highway or the bridge to get home and hears that large amounts of snow will be falling either stays home or heads for home no later than 2:00 P.M., otherwise they are prepared to sit in traffic for at least two hours to get home. When I lived in the suburbs it once took me three hours to get home, at which point my Sweetheart and his roommate at the time rescued me and took me in for the remainder of that week. On another note, this video is also a nice look at how pretty our Christmas decorations are!
So, it's December! We had our first snowfall that stuck this week, although it was only about four centimeters worth of the stuff. No traffic pandemonium ensued and it has now all melted because it got very warm (7 degrees Celsius, which is very warm for us hardy Montrealers at this time of year) overnight and rained. I would prefer -5 degrees and snow personally. No colder than -5 mind you, it got down to -12 some nights this week and that was a bit much since we skipped the whole -5 thing and when straight down to -12. Anyhow, I'm hoping for more snow soon, since I find that bare trees and Christmas decorations look much better with snow than without.
As for how my week went, it was very up and down. I was in a very sour mood on both Tuesday and Wednesday, partly because of PMS and partly because of boredom at work. I'm normally quite a cheerful person, so when I'm in a sour mood, I feel awful about it and also everyone can tell. Not fun at all. I've been feeling better since Thursday though, which coincidentally (or not so much) was when I was going to my Sweetheart's place. He made me dinner for the second time in a week, which was lovely and we chatted and worked on his kitchen cabinet doors. We got together again last night for a fun raising concert for my colleague C's former high school in Haiti, then we went out with a few of my Sweetheart's friends for a drink before heading back to my Sweetheart's place. We only got home around 12:30 A.M. which is quite a late night for us! This morning we overslept and then ended up having to rush out the door since my Sweetheart was heading out to his brother's place on the South Shore and the buses that go out there only run every half-hour on the weekend. As for me, I came home and am planning on putting up the rest of my Christmas decorations today. I got started on them yesterday when I bought a Christmas wreath for my apartment door and today the tree is going to go up as is the advent calendar.
Finally, I realize that I didn't let you all know how my concert went last week! It went quite well once we were passed the first three songs. I think the major issue was that my director put all the hard pieces towards the beginning of the concert, so we didn't really have a chance to work up our confidence in front of the audience and get over our nervousness before hitting the hard stuff. I told the director so and hopefully he'll take that into account for our next concert. Also, my father didn't come, so my Grandma G couldn't make it in either, but I did have my brother and my Sweetheart there and also my dear old friend G who brought a friend with her and C came as well. It's always more fun singing when you have people you know in the audience. I particularly enjoyed seeing my Sweetheart with his eyes on me for the whole of the second half of the concert :)
Well, off I go to put up my Christmas decorations! But before I go, for any of you worried about the whole 'Mayan Doomsday Prophecy' for December 21st, here is a link to a page NASA put up to calm people down. I wish I could direct some of the people who have been calling into the Oratory worked up about this whole 2012 thing to this page, but it would probably do no good since most of them are zealots trying to tell me that I need to practice fear of God more and make penance for my sins because the end is most certainly nigh. Yeah, right...in my mind, December 21st is my aunt A and my Grandpa G's birthday and three days before I finally get off work for two weeks. I fully intend to wake up in one piece of the 22nd, hopefully with my Sweetheart next to me :) What do all of you think about the December 21st thing?
My favorite lantern display from this year's Chinese lantern show at the Botanical Gardens
So, I've had quite the busy week! I spent quite a bit of time with my Sweetheart, naturally. He stayed over at my place on Wednesday, then on Friday we went out to the movies since he wanted to see Skyfall, the new James Bond movie. It was my first time ever seeing a James Bond movie and I really liked it. Sweetheart says I now have to see all of them, but luckily for me he only has one on his computer at home. I may have liked Skyfall, but I'm not sure how I feel about an all-out James Bond marathon! I'll be seeing my Sweetheart again later on today since he'll be coming to my choir's concert and then I'm hoping we'll head back to his place together for a nice quiet end of the day and evening!
I was also at the movie yesterday with my friend V. We went out to lunch at Boccacino's and then she proposed that we go and see Twilight: Breaking Dawn part 2. As I've mentioned before, I've always vetoed going to see the Twilight movies in the theaters because I want to avoid the die-hard Twihards, but I figured that since the movie had been out for a week and it was a middle of the afternoon showing, it would be okay to risk it. Luckily it was fine and the movie really was quite good! I'll be buying the DVD when it come out so I can watch it with my Sweetheart. He will of course be satisfied before there is a 'Jacob shirtless' scene. A Twilight movie would not be a Twilight movie if Jacob did not take of his shirt and show off his six pack at least once :oJ
Aside from that things have been pretty quiet. My father is doing well right now. He's signed himself up with a personal trainer in order to help him get some of his strength and muscle tone back, but is taking his time filling out all the forms he needs for his first appointment. He's been getting out more though, which is nice to hear and he might even come to my concert later on today. He's flipped back and forth twice so far on whether he is going to coming or not though, so I'm not putting any money on it and neither is my Grandma G who would really like to come and is counting on my father for a ride. I'll let you know how that turns out, but Grandma G and I are both crossing our fingers!
Well, I had better get a move on since I do have quite a bit to do before leaving for my concert, namely figuring out what to do with my hair!
So after a week of listening to the Breaking Dawn (part2) soundtrack (on and off, I do have over a day and half of music on my iPod, so I rarely listen to just one album, most of the time I turn it on, hit shuffle and off I go), here is my favorite song from it. All of the music is quite good, but this is the one song that I still listen to twice in a row before moving on. Let me know what you think of it if you decide to give it a listen :)
On another note, my Sweetheart has been home since Thursday. We were happy as could be to be reunited on Friday, even though my poor Sweetheart was of course still a bit jet lagged and suffering from the tail end of a case of food poisoning he got from his first class meal on the flight from Luanda, Angola to Amsterdam. He was lucky he didn't eat the fish, because his business partner, E, and another engineer who worked with them in Angola did and they got even sicker. So never let it be said that the food is better in first class, that is a myth!
Sweetheart did not get as much time together as we would have liked since he and E had a bit of work to catch up on on Saturday morning, but we should be getting together again either tonight or tomorrow. We just can't get enough of talking with each other or spending time together, I could hear my Sweetheart grinning through the phone when we talked during my break at choir practice last night and I naturally grinned right back. We're like a couple of kids when he gets back from long trips like this, it's quite something to see :)
Not too much else going on right now aside from work and my being in concert with my choir this coming weekend. It should be quite a nice show, I'm looking forward to it!
On that note, I hope you're all doing well and that all of my American readers have a lovely Thanksgiving with your family and friends this Thursday, just be safe if you go shopping on Friday, I couldn't believe it when I read that there were already people camping out in front of stores to take advantage of the sales that don't start until FRIDAY!!! That's pretty nuts.
I'll try and pop in again soon, but I'm quite liking this weekly blogging format, it's much easier than trying to get a post up every day!
Another view of the illuminated Japanese Gardens at the Botanical Gardens (click to enlarge)
Today I...
...am thrilled to report that my Sweetheart is finally on his way home! He sent me an e-mail telling me so this morning. He was quite looking forward to his day in Amsterdam tomorrow where he will be on a day-long layover. He was also looking forward to leaving Matala since they were beginning to being victims of the weather there. Sweetheart told me that there were beginning to be more and more thunderstorms and that when there were, their work camp and bedrooms would flood. He also told me that their generator was hit by lightning during one storm and that since then they had fallen prey to frequent power outages and that they had spent two days without Internet (which is why I had not heard from him since Thursday), but more importantly they were often short on water and that therefore personal hygiene was beginning to be a problem. Yup, it was time for him to leave.
I have naturally been in an exceptionally good mood since reading his e-mail this morning, I could dance and sing I am so happy. As I told my Sweetheart the other day, I do okay when he is away, I keep myself busy, but when he is here, something in me comes alive. Nobody else has that effect on me, it really is quite exceptional. I try to describe it to people who ask me how on God's Green Earth I can handle being in a relationship with a man who travels so often and who, as I have mentioned on here before, is an admitted commitment phobic. It's simple: we make each other happy and have been constantly moving forward in the relationship, especially since he has moved back from Toronto. Besides, even though having my Sweetheart away is difficult, having him come home is always something wonderful. The expression 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' is not a myth folks, not if the two halves of a couple have a personality that is compatible with long-distance relationships!
Aside from that, I am currently listening to the soundtrack for the final installment of the Twilight movies and it is wonderful. Think what you will of the Twilight saga, the music that goes with the movies is often full of amazing music. As I have once again mentioned before, I enjoyed reading the Twilight books and I have also enjoyed the movies (in both cases they make a nice change from my usual movie and literary fodder, which is more, shall we say, intellectual), but I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, a Twihard. Those people are pretty intense, which is why I have not seen any of the Twilight movies in the theaters. I would rather steer clear of all the raging young teenage hormones, I get enough of them giving tours to teens at work, thank you very much. I read the books way after they were released and have waited for the movies to be released on DVD to watch them in the comfort of my home, but always with my Sweetheart who enjoys laughing at them and waiting to see how long it takes Taylor Lautner (aka: Jacob) to go shirtless. Sweetheart keeps trying to get me to admit that I find Taylor Lautner hot, but I honestly don't think he is, he just isn't my type :oJ I'm sure he would be relieved to find that out, as are all the crazy teenage girls out there who dream of dating him. One less woman to compete with!
One of the fixtures of the Montreal Skyline: the tower of the Olympic Stadium. This photo was taken from the Japanese garden at the Botanical Gardens a few weeks ago when it was lit up for the Halloween season.
To see more Skywatch photos from around the world, stop by the Skywatch Friday blog.
As you all know I love Downton Abbey and one of my favorite characters on the show is Lord Grantham's mother, the Dowager Countess. Here are some of her best moments out of Season 1. If you have never seen Downton Abbey before, this just may convert you, seasons 1 and 2 are currently available for download on iTunes, which is where I got them. Season 3 is currently airing in the U.K. and will be debuting on this side of the pond on January 13th on PBS's Masterpiece.
...am taking a bit of time to check in with all of you.
My father seems to be doing pretty well this week. He has an anniversary dinner for the curling club he and my grandparents have been members of for over 30 years now tomorrow and he called me on Wednesday because he was hunting around for his tuxedo. I spent a great deal of time cleaning my father's room while he was in the hospital and he was wondering if I had moved it out of his bedroom closet. I hadn't, but he called me back about an hour later to let me know that he had found it in another one of his upstairs bedrooms. I was very happy to hear that my father was looking forward to the dinner and that he was planning on getting all dressed up for it, he was just a bit concerned that his tuxedo might no longer fit him because he has lost quite a bit of weight since buying it.
Aside from that, I've had up days and down days. I don't always do that great for sleep, which is not good and I've had a lot of appointments all over the place, so I feel like I'm rushing a lot. I could definitely use some downtime, but I'm nearly two months away from my next vacation :ox I'm also running low on sick days because I've had to take so many to help out with my dad and take care of some stuff on my end as well. Sick days sure start going down fast when you encounter a situation when you really need them. I don't know what to do. It is very tempting to take my week off earlier than planned, but then I will end up having to work between Christmas and New Year's, which is never fun either because I always have family in town over the Holidays and as you all know, the Holidays are often far from restful!
My Sweetheart is still in Angola. He's supposed to be coming home on the 15th of this month, but he told me earlier this week in an e-mail that the work has not been going as quickly as they thought it would, so he might be coming home later. I hope they can catch up on their schedule and he can make it home on the 15th as planned, because I miss him like crazy.
On another note, I'm beginning to doubt whether I'll make it back to daily posting. I'm really beginning to lack the motivation for it, but I do frequently thing about what I would like this blog to become. I definitely still enjoy blogging, but I may just tweak what I blog about :o) Anyhow, I hope you'll all stick around no matter which way this blog goes, because I really do love having you follow me and leave comments!
...am popping in while waiting for a late tour group to let you all know how things have been going.
I had a nice, albeit slightly more stressful than I would have liked (note to self: next time your aunt and cousin ask you if you would like to go to the store with them and your cousin's 15 month old baby, offer to stay home with the baby instead). It did me some good to get away though, but what I really need as this point is a nice, weeklong vacation. Two weeks would be better. I may get two weeks if I can hold out until Christmas before taking my last remaining week off, because then I get my five days of vacation, plus the four holiday days and then I would throw another day on the end because no way in heck am I going back to work on a Friday!
I also enjoyed being met at the train station by my Sweetheart when I got home last Monday. He took me back to his place for the night and we enjoyed a nice, leisurely morning on Tuesday until he had to start working like crazy again to get everything he needed to get done here at home finished before leaving for Angola that evening. He's been gone for a week now and will be back in three more. Time has been going by quickly since I've had so many appointments and things since then.
As for my blogging, I do try, but it is not easy. I'm very tired and have been trying to fit some exercise and time with friends in whenver I can to get my mind of things and thus help me to sleep better. I'm getting better at it and do not want to lose the swing of things. I'll keep working on creating a new balance in my life and hopefully blogging more regularly will fit in eventually, especially once I've gotten some more rest into my system.
Thanks for sticking with me, you're all amazing :o)
Fall colors and a flock of Canada Geese heading South to get away from the cold (click to enlarge and you will see them better, they are to the right above the spruce trees)
Thank you all for stopping by! To see more Skywatch photos from around the world, you can visit the Skywatch Friday blog.
Footbridge across the pond that belonged to the spa my Sweetheart sent me to a week and a half ago
Today I...
...felt like blogging, so I'm popping in with a bit of an update for all of you :o)
I'm happy to report that my father has been doing better for the past two weeks. He is not out of the woods yet, but we are cautiously optimistic that he may get himself out of them eventually. I'm keeping up with the prayers and hoping for the best, but we certainly all enjoyed seeing him for Thanksgiving dinner. He joked a bit and ate well and was happy to be with us and that was what we were all most thankful for :o)
As for me, I've been feeling better for about a week now as well after a few good cries, a night at a spa up north that my Sweetheart gifted me with, finding myself a psychologist thanks to a employee support program and a few nice outings with some friends. Some TLC from my Sweetheart has helped as well.
Speaking of my Sweetheart, he's supposed to be off to Angola tomorrow, but when he opened his e-mail this morning, he found a plane ticket for a flight that left last night that was sent to him this morning!!! That has to be one of the greatest strokes of genius we have ever seen...NOT!!! We had a huge laugh over it and I sent it off to my family. We now have no clue when Sweetheart is leaving, but he was going to pack his bags tonight just in case he got another plane ticket for a flight tomorrow. And the plane ticket for this morning? Business class on a KLM flight. Then entire flight was work nearly 5500$. Throw Sweetheart's business partner E's ticket in there too and that's 11 000$ of plane tickets. Someone at the engineering firm he is getting this contract from had a really, REALLY bad day, methinks. Anyhow, my Sweetheart and I are now hoping that he will not be leaving until next week, which would buy us another evening or two together. Unfortunately I would miss out on an entire weekend with him since I am leaving for Toronto on Friday and will not be back until Monday, but what can you do? My weekend should be fun and I can still call my Sweetheart from Toronto, which I will not be able to do once he'll be in Angola. Ugh, an entire month without him. Here's hoping my father will stay well while he's away.
So there's my little update. I hope you've all been well also and that my Canadian readers had a nice Thanksgiving. This may be my only post for a little while again since I have a pretty busy week, but I'll try and drop in again soon, depending on how things are going :o)
...am admitting that I just can't blog right now. As you may all have surmised from my silence since the eve of my father's birthday supper, things did not go well. My father is suffering a severe relapse and the outlook is not very god right now. I spent the better part of last week at my Sweetheart's and when I wasn't at his place, he was at mine trying to help me keep it together. Thank God for him, I don't know what I would do without him.
The bottom line is, I do not have the time or energy to blog right now and I apologize for this. I will pop into your blogs now and then and leave a comment when I have a chance, but I really feel like I need to focus on myself and my family first. I'll come back to blogging eventually and until then I hope you will keep my family and I in your thoughts and prayers.
Closeup of a giant Hibiscus that was growing in the Botanical Gardens when I was there a few weeks ago
(it was seriously about the size of my face!!!).
Today I...
...slept in, thank the Good Lord! My first week working mornings again was pretty darn rough, I really need to try to discipline myself to get to bed earlier!
...went out in a car from the car sharing program I joined for the first time. The program is called Communauto and it has been around for a few years now. I was quite pleased with the experience, although I did end up in a little Toyota Echo that was becoming a bit of a clunker! It ran well enough though and got me through my 118 kilometer trek from my place to an appointment in the West Island and then out to my mom's in Hudson and back. I'm taking another car out tomorrow, a newer one this time, to get my Sweetheart and I out to my aunt and uncle's and back for my father's birthday dinner.
...enjoyed my visit with my mom and her canine crew. I got lots of kisses from one of her dogs, was drooled on and stepped on my muddy feet and laughed it all off. I'm washable, so are my clothes and a visit with my mom is more than worth a little extra scrubbing. Plus, I love how her dogs love me :o)
...am happy to report that my date with my Sweetheart the other day was lovely. Stash Café is a great place with very yummy traditional Polish food and is very affordable for Old Montreal. Usually when you go and eat down there you get skinned alive, because if you do not end up in a high-end place, you end up in a tourist trap, but Stash is a little off the beaten track and therefore affordable, quiet and very, very quaint. We both loved it and will be going back again :o)
...am looking forward to my evening with my family tomorrow, even though I know that my father has not been doing so well this week. If you would all please continue praying for him and sending positive vibes his way, it would be much appreciated.
...am looking forward to driving again tomorrow. I love to drive, am good at it and I will admit that I also like to drive fast. Not too fast, I go with the flow, but it is always the flow in the left-hand lane of the highway :o) Plus, tomorrow I am driving with my Sweetheart. I love driving with him. He is a great navigator, loves being the passenger and is never a backseat driver. He actually is not entitled to be, because I taught him how to drive! But yeah, he doesn't actually enjoy driving, so he's more than happy to just sit and navigate and let himself be chauffeured around town (whether Montreal or Toronto back in the day) by me :o)
A beautiful sky full of fair weather clouds above Montreal's Botanical Gardens. This is their 'edible stuff' garden...
...where you aren't allowed to eat anything. I warned off a few tourists who wanted to eat some nice, big juicy blackberries while I was there!
I'm so happy to finally be back to Skywatching! Sorry for the long break, but with everything that has been going on in my life, it was very hard to fit any blogging at all in!
...am wishing more and more that we got ITV in Canada. They are getting season 3 of 'Downton Abbey' as of this weekend and in Canada we aren't getting it until January and I'm going to have to switch one of my TV channel selections to get it on PBS from the States...unless I can get the season on iTunes as soon as it starts! I'm afraid that if I wait for it someone will end up spoiling it for me before I can see it lol
...am taking a break from compiling the statistics of our Summer season to post this. I've been doing statistics pretty much non-stop except for answering a few e-mails since yesterday afternoon and it's starting to get to me!
...have been pretty busy as you can probably tell from my lack of posts! I spent a good bit of time with some friends on the weekend and on Sunday I went Downtown to run some errands and then walked all the way home! It took me a bit over an hour and a half and then I was only home for a bit over an hour before going back out for coffee with my friend G and then I got home, had some dinner, did some yoga (I had bought myself a DVD that afternoon!) and got myself to bed.
...am happy to be back on my daytime schedule, even though I am tired! I have as yet been unable to get myself to bed before 12:30, but that will come as I get more tired.
...am very, very much looking forward to going out on a date with my Sweetheart tonight, he is taking me to a Polish restaurant in Old Montreal! Here is the website:http://stashcafe.com/, I will be sure to let you know how it was!
...am pleased to report that my father is still doing well, all things considered. He has up days and down days, but at least they are not all down and he has been eating and getting out and about as well as going to his doctor's appointments religiously and following all of the doctor's instructions. I'm looking forward to seeing him on the weekend :o)
A woman enjoying a walk in Montreal's Botanical Gardens a few weeks ago
Today I...
...am back again! Thursday evening I was off to my Sweetheart's and yesterday I spent the evening doing laundry and fuming about how the entire bottom end of one of my pillow cases tore off when I went to pull the pillow case off my pillow for laundering. I only have one set of sheets that I actively use on my bed because my other set of sheets, for some reason, is too small for my bed despite saying they are Queen Sized. Luckily this does not apply to the pillow cases though, so I am now using mismatched pillow cases.
...am looking forward to meeting a friend at Juliette & Chocolat for an afternoon treat!
...spoke with my Sweetheart for a bit. We will not be getting together this week, but we are planning on going out to dinner on Tuesday to celebrate the fact that I am done working evenings and we can now go out to restaurants on weeknights again! After spending all Summer working evenings, I've decided that next year I will do a few evenings in the summer, but certainly not all of them. Sleeping in every day is nice, but not being able to spend evenings with my Sweetheart or go out with friends as often as I would like was not very fun.
...spoke with my aunt to plan my father's birthday party next week. He is still improving and has taken some important steps towards working his way out of his depression and anxiety problems this week, so we are all very happy about that and are looking forward to celebrating a birthday we were afraid he might not have with him next weekend.
One of Montreal's Metro trains entering Pie-IX Metro station a few weeks ago
Today I...
...went out to vote, we had provincial elections here today.
...couldn't believe how long it took to get one of our tour guides set up to use our headset system with a tour group and was even more stunned by how long it took to get all the earpieces and receivers put away again. We're definitely going to have to try and find a solution to the problem.
...was good entertainment for a few European tourists when I had to chase a very gutsy squirrel out of the information booth three times!
...am quite relieved that the Parti Québecois (very annoying political party who do not believe Anglophones have any place in the province of Quebec, do not take kindly to immigrants unless they learn French within five minutes of arriving in the province and would like Quebec to be an independent country and won't drop the issue even though it was voted down in a province-wide referendum twice 15 years apart) was only elected as a minority. They will more than likely not last very long as they are known for their in-fighting. They'll more than likely end up either self-destructing (again) or being booted out by a non-confidence vote in a year at the most.
...was shocked to find one of my two blue and white female platys dead when I got home from work. All my fish looked perfectly healthy when I left this afternoon, so maybe it was old age?
Another lovely area of Montreal's Botanical Gardens
Today I...
...am feeling better.
...spent the afternoon with my Sweetheart, which got me feeling better.
...baked a cake with my Sweetheart.
...went for a 10 km bike ride with my Sweetheart.
...watched more Downton Abbey, I am almost through with the 2nd season now and will then have to wait until January for the 3rd season.
...got to go for a spin in my brother's new car.
...sipped Grand Marnier on a terrace with my brother after dinner while we munched on Jalapeno Poppers and watched tennis.
...am happy with my long weekend, despite yesterday being a not so fun day.
... spoke with my father for a bit. He was a bit chattier and in a better mood, but still not overly cheerful. I really hope he gets back to sounding as cheery as he did when he first got home last week.
Flower bed at the Botanical Gardens a few weeks ago
Today I...
...didn't have a as good a day as yesterday.
...woke up at 10:00 A.M. when I had an appointment at 10:45 a 15 minute walk from my place. Not the ideal way to start a Sunday.
...was disappointed to find out in an e-mail from my Sweetheart that I would not be seeing him today. We will get a few hours together tomorrow afternoon (if my mood has improved). I was hoping that we would finally get at least 24 hours together for the first time in longer than I care to remember, but no such luck.
...spent two hours at V's place with her cat and most of it was spent sitting by the balcony door watching Downton Abbey on my iPod while the cat was lying on the balcony in the shade.
...stopped by the aquarium supply store to buy four new fish, cardinal tetras to be precise, and two new artificial plants for my tank.
...spoke with my father for a bit and he sounded rather down. A major contrast from yesterday. I think I will take a day off from calling him tomorrow and see how he's doing on Monday. He may be feeling a bit badgered I think, so he will more than likely appreciate my call more if he hasn't had to repeat the same information about how he's doing to three or more other people before I get to him.
...went out for a long walk to try and improve my mood. I'm not too sure it has done any good, but I more than likely would be feeling worse right now if I had done nothing but sit around and stare at my living room wall for the 45 minutes I was outside.
Our friends' E and J's almost two month old son in my Sweetheart's arms last night
Size comparison and enough cuteness to turn anyone into mush, especially me :o)
Today I...
...am sharing these two photos of baby A in my Sweetheart's arms last night. My Sweetheart and I both won the 'Get A to Sleep' trophy yesterday evening. He fell asleep in both of our arms, mine for a solid half hour at the beginning of the evening and my Sweetheart's for closer to 45 minutes at the end of the evening. At one point they were actually both asleep together on the couch, it was pretty darn adorable. Anyhow, I can confirm that seeing one's other half with a baby in his arms, will turn you to mush and make you want a baby, if even you know perfectly well that you are not ready for a baby right in that moment. It is a very dangerous thing, ladies, very dangerous indeed.
...was very happy when my Sweetheart finally took A in his arms. I could tell he wanted to, but he is quite cautious about taking babies in his arms before they can hold their heads up on their own. Our friend L and I got him set up though with the baby and a cushion and he was as happy as I clam to hold A and I was as happy as a clam to take pictures of the event. Aside from holding A myself, my Sweetheart holding him was the highlight of my evening :o)
...had a nice, laid back day today. No need to go to the hospital to visit my father or go to clean his house for the firs time in nearly a month. I therefore slept in until 10:15 A.M., watched two episodes of Downton Abbey (I am now onto Season 2 and will begin watching it later on this evening) while having a leisurely brunch. I then got my cleaning done, went for a 3 km jog, showered and then headed out to visit V's cat and fish as V and her boyfriend have gone off to a wedding for the weekend. I fed the cat and the fish, gave the cat a healthy amount of attention and then hopped on the bus and went to get some ice cream at Kem CoBa, which I have blogged about previously. I had their flavor of the month, 72% dark chocolate and raspberry soft ice cream. It was insanely good, and I just might go back for more soon. Maybe tomorrow? I may not be able to help myself.
...spoke with my father when I got home. He is doing well, but still gets tired quite easily, especially when he has a rather busy day, as he did today. I more than likely won't be seeing him this weekend, but I'm hoping for next week. I may try and get him to come out to my neck of the woods to the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal with my Sweetheart and I.
...had a nice plate of spaghetti with my mom's meat sauce on it and a glass of white wine for dinner, a great way to cap off the day!
...am wishing my grandparents a nice trip! They are heading off to Ireland and Scotland for two weeks tomorrow, the lucky ducks!
I'm just popping in really quickly to let you all know that I am still alive.
My father seems to be doing okay on his own at home so far. He went for his first appointment with his new general practitionner yesterday and he really likes him and he has been talking about building a new life for himself, so we're all cautiously, emphasis on the cautiously, optimistic.
As for me, I'm very tired and have been very busy this week. On Tuesday I wanted to get to bed early since I was working early on Wednesday, then on Wednesday I went to a concert with my mom and yesterday I worked late, did laundry, baked some hors d'oeuvres for a party I'm going to tonight and then had my Sweetheart dop in unexpectedly. Today I am doing a day shift again so I can go to a party tonight and who knows what the weekend will hold.
I really miss blogging and I am hoping to be able to post regularly again soon once things are more stable with my dad and things a bit less crazy on my end as well. Getting back to my normal day time schedule will undoubtedly help and that will happen on Septembre 10th. I will, of course, be posting again before then!
...felt all kinds of emotions when I found out that my father was being released from the hospital. Mostly I felt apprehension. While he was in the hospital he was monitored and sheltered and we knew where he was at all times and that he was being taken care of and was taking care of himself. Now, he is back home and while my brother and I would love to be able to keep him in a bubble and have nanny cams in the house so we could know what he was up to all the time, we cannot. He is on his own and he has to decide for himself whether he wants to be well now and live a reasonably long life or not. We cannot force him to live a healthier lifestyle, he has to take the initiative himself, no matter how much we would like to shake him into it.
...was thankful for my colleagues and friends at work for their support and being so willing to listen to me and offer their support.
...went for a nice long jog.
...spoke with my Sweetheart for a bit.
...got through one day this week. I am going to feed my cats, have a shower and watch an episode of Downton Abbey to continue unwinding before going to sleep and facing another day tomorrow. One day at a time and we will all get through this and hopefully the outcome will be positive. What I am hoping for right now more than anything else though is peacefulness and happiness for myself and my family. We need it so badly and if we can't all have it, then maybe I'll run away for a weekend and get some myself before I go stir crazy.
A butterfly sitting on a flower at the Botanical Gardens last weekend
Today I...
...woke up in my Sweetheart's arms, a lovely feeling indeed :o)
...went to visit my father in the hospital. He is going to be there at least until Monday when a meeting will be held to see if he can be released to go home or whether he will have to spend some time in a convalescent home until he is completely recovered from his illness physically if he is not thought to be so on Monday.
...went to do a bit of cleaning at my father's place.
...was hoping to go to an organ concert at the Oratory this evening, but I stayed at my father's a bit longer than I had planned and then got caught in traffic on the way back into town, so I ended up nixing the concert, buying some sushi for dinner on the way home and then spending the evening doing the laundry, eating sushi and watching Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on TV.
...am having a day for myself tomorrow, which means I will be running some errands.
...am looking forward to going out to dinner with my mom, my aunt and my brother tomorrow.
...had another busy day at work. I have been getting lots of bookings for the Fall and believe it or not, the school group bookings for groups coming from Ontario have started coming in for next Spring. School bookings always seem to flood in right when I really don't need the extra work. I just spent two weeks taking over D's work while he was away and now C is on vacation for two weeks, so I have taken over most of her work. I can't wait until everyone is done taking their vacations!
...am happy to report that my father seems to be agreeing to get the help he needs to make sure he recovers completely from his illness. I sent him a message of encouragement last night to help him along and show him that I really believe that he can get back on track, so hopefully if I keep that up it will give him the boost he needs to keep on going in the right direction. He is still in hospital and we don't know how long he will be there, but he is doing much better than he was this time last week.
...was given a peach and a piece of dark chocolate with nuts in it by Father C this afternoon and then my boss, Father M. gave me two medium-sized danishes from the monastery kitchen, one apricot and one strawberry. I told him that I would really have to make sure get my jogging in tomorrow if I ate them both, which I did. I preferred the apricot one.
...am so, so looking forward to my Sweetheart coming home tomorrow. I feel like he's been gone forever! He's making it out of Haiti just in time too, it looks like Tropical Storm Isaac is sent to run right over Haiti Friday into Saturday.
...will try and get a Skywatch post up tomorrow, it's been a while!
...am hoping to have a bit of an easier time getting to sleep tonight. I've understandably been having issues since my father fell ill.
Click on photo to enlarge and see bees on the flowers
Today I...
...am sharing some photos from my visit to the Botanical Gardens with all of you. It was one of my treats to myself yesterday to help me get my mind off everything that's been going on in my family. I've blogged about the Botanical Gardens before, it really is a wonderful place to visit and this was my first time going there in the Summer. They have all kinds of sections in the gardens, for annual flowers, perennial flowers, an orchard, a lilac glen, an arboretum and also ornamental vegetable and fruit gardens, where they really, really don't want you to pick anything, be it a zucchini, grape, or blackberry...
..see?
I had a lot of fun wandering around the gardens and taking pictures and will share more with you in my next posts.
...am happy to report that my father has been doing much better since the weekend and we seem to possibly be making some headway with getting him into a clinic to treat his depression and other issues once he is released from the hospital.
...am looking forward to my Sweetheart coming home on Thursday and am hoping to see him soon after his return.
...am looking forward to my aunt coming to visit from Toronto! She will be arriving on Thursday as well.
...am doing very well with my jogging, I did my second 3 km run last night and will stay consistent with it until it gets too easy. Then I will bump it up to 3.5 km. I've already begun thinking about where I will run when that becomes necessary, because I am running out of places to go immediately around my apartment building. I'm already running the entire distance I used to run and then walk around to cool down and have resorted to doing a walk around my block after running around it to cool down. I'll figure something out, I'm sure!
Today I...
...am getting a quick post up from the information booth at work. It has been another rough week with roller coaster information about my dad. Having him in a hospital across town in getting pretty hard for my brother and I as we find that we really don't get enough information first hand. I am very tired from going back and forth on the bus and with all the emotions I'm going through and it looks like I'm going to be dealing with this for at least another two weeks unless my father begins to improve very quickly. I'll keep posting as often as I'm able.
Farmer's Field in St. Peter's, Prince Edward Island
Today I...
...am getting a quick post up before going to bed.
...am happy to report that despite my father still being in hospital, he is feeling a bit better every day and I am feeling a bit more like myself every day.
...was relieved when my aunt and my grandmother cleared up an administrative snafu and were able to make it clear to my father's doctors that he was in no way ready to go home today. I was afraid I was going to have to go to the hospital myself and give them heck, but my aunt and grandmother did a pretty good job of it all on their own.
...went out for some groceries after work.
...reached a new all time best for my jogging: 3kms! I am most pleased with myself. I am currently icing some sore tendons in my right ankle, but reaching a new goal felt great.
...am going to hurry along and answer my Sweetheart's e-mail before going to bed, I have to get up early tomorrow since my brother is coming to get so we can go and visit our father in the hospital before going to work. I'll try and post again tomorrow.
Souris light house in Souris, Prince Edward Island
Today I...
...spent two hours visiting my father in the hospital. He was doing better today, which was wonderful to see, but he still has a long way to go.
...stopped at the mall on the way home to grab a smoothie and make a few calls before switching buses and decided to stop in at my favorite store, RW&Co. I have been shopping there since they first opened in 1999 (my mom brought me there saying there was a new store that had opened and she thought I might like their clothes and she was right) and they have always had excellent quality clothing that is affordable and stylish. I had been a bit disappointed with their stuff they had in their last few collections and found myself wondering if I was outgrowing them, but when I walked into the store today, it was just like it used to be and I found piece after piece of clothing that I loved. I was on the phone with my Grandma G. while wandering around the store so I didn't buy anything on my first walk through, but I went back after hanging up with her and ended up with a wonderful salesgirl who was almost like a personal shopper. She suggested outfit combinations, got all the right sizes for me just by looking at me and was not too intrusive while I was in the fitting room. I ended up buying a skirt, a pair of pants, a top, a cardigan and a camisole for under 240$ and leaving with a little smile on my face, which was great after the week I had.
...got stung by a wasp on the inside of my left ankle while waiting for the bus at the mall. If you have never been stung by a wasp, I suggest you try your hardest not to, it hurts like heck!
...finally washed my dishes. I have been home so little since Tuesday and have been so tired when I have been home that I had not washed them since then. Luckily, there was only one very well rinsed pan and plate, some closed and empty Ziploc containers from my dinners at work, some glasses and lots of cutlery in there, so nothing too major. I got it all washed in about 15 minutes.
...was hoping I would be able to go for a jog tonight, even if it was only half the distance I usually run, but I am still just way, way too tired and even if I wasn't, I got stung by that wasp right where my running shoes fit onto my ankle. The sting is still sore, so running would not have been possible. Hopefully I will be able to make it out tomorrow, because I haven't jogged in a week :o(
...am waiting for my Sweetheart to call me back. He's leaving for Haiti tomorrow. If he doesn't call back soon, I'm going to fall asleep waiting for him though. Goodnight...
As you have more than likely noticed, I have not been around this week and last week was patchy. To make a long story short, my father has not been well since retiring in January. He did not have a gradual lead-up to his retirement as most people have and he had a very high-power job that he was very intense about, so when he suddenly had to retire at a rather young age (57), he took it very hard and became very depressed. He has always had a tendency toward depression and his retirement basically gave him a huge sucker punch. My family and I tried everything we could to help him out, from my calling him regularly and trying to get him to come out to the market with me, or take me fishing, or go for sushi, to my brother stopping by to have a beer with him and watch some sports, to my grandmother and my aunt calling him incessantly, to all of us being super positive about his retirement, including my Sweetheart who told my father at my birthday in February that he would retire on the spot if he could. Nothing worked and my father just sank deeper and deeper into depression until his condition became incredibly alarming. We were contemplating using major force to get him the help he needed when he felt so physically ill that he scared himself into asking for help. My aunt and uncle drove him to the clinic to see their family doctor and he bundled my father right off to the emergency room this past Sunday. He is still in the hospital and will be there for a while. We are all so relieved that he is getting the help he needs, but it has been an incredibly emotional week and I am still reeling from it. I know that today is Saturday, but the time between Wednesday and last night is just one huge melting pot for me, it all felt like one very long, long day because things all happened so fast. I am incredibly grateful to my Sweetheart, because I do not know what I would have become without him. I have either been with him or spoken to him every single day since Tuesday. He held me when I cried, listened to me when I needed to talk and made sure that I ate and slept as much as I was able to. Thank God this all happened this week while he was in town rather than next week when he will be away. I'm sure God saw all this coming and he purposely sent Hurricane Ernesto toward the Caribbean on purpose to make sure that my Sweetheart would not leave for Haiti on Tuesday this week as he was originally supposed to.
We're pretty sure that the worst is over now for my father. His physical condition is slowly getting better and he was finally able to get a private room in the hospital this evening (he had been in the very noisy ER since Wednesday). I spent the day with him on Wednesday and then went back to see him for the first time since then this morning. He was very drowsy and therefore confused, but much more conversational. I'm planning on going back to see him tomorrow and I will bring him some flowers and an image of Brother André and the Oratory that I got for him at work yesterday to brighten up his room. My posting and commenting will more than likely continue to be sparse, but I'll try and get back into the swing of things this week. It will depend on my mood and on how my day has been. This whole situation will take some getting used to because even once his body is better, it will take quite some time for my father to get over his depression. If any of you have ever dealt with a family member or a friend who has been severely depressed, I could really use some pointers on how to help my father through this. He has been down before, but has always bounced back. This time is different and I'm worried that even once he's home I will always be afraid that he is going to become depressed again and how we will be able to keep him from sinking so low again if he does. He wouldn't let any of us into his house. He never really was big on visitors, so we didn't think anything of it until he stopped coming out to see us.
If you could all pray for us and send us positive thoughts, my family and I would greatly appreciate it.
Yet another view of Green Gables Farm, Cavendish, PEI (can you tell I loved the time I spent there?)
Today I...
...felt bad for my Sweetheart after being a bit upset with him last night. He was being M. Crankypants, you see, and griped at me for some pretty silly stuff, but I chalked it up to his getting 500$ worth of vaccinations on Friday for his upcoming trips to Haiti and Angola. He had to take another vaccine today, a liquid one for cholera and he's feeling even worse physically, but maybe a bit less like M. Crankypants.
...got soaked in a downpour while walking home from the pet supply store with my brother. It is just two blocks from my apartment, but I needed his help to carry a 45 lb. bag of kitty little home for me (that's not far off of half my body weight). My brother was miffed at me for letting him drive to the supply store because he didn't know it was so close to my place, but I could tell there was a big rain shower coming. He insisted walking back to my place however, so I hollered at him when we got poured on.
...made my way to Jean-Talon Market to get some porcini and portobello mushroom ravioli for dinner and made a lemon, cream and thyme sauce to go with it, yum!!! Here is the recipe, in case any of you want to try it.
...went for a 2.25 km jog after the weather cooled off. It was awesome, there was a great breeze and I worked up a great sweat and totally burned off the cream sauce from my dinner, I'm sure of it. Now I Just wish I was allowed to wear my new skinny jeans to work so I could show off how awesome my legs have become since I started jogging back in June!
...am looking forward to going for ice cream with my grandparents after work tomorrow!
A different kind of view of Green Gables Farm in Cavendish, PEI
Today I...
...was glad I had slept with my windows closed to keep the heat out when I wandered into my kitchen for breakfast and heard that my neighbor who does not know how to turn off their alarm clock was at it again. The kitchen window is always open because my gas stove constantly emits heat. If I keep that window closed in the summer, I may as well have all of the others open because the apartment will get just as hot! Anyhow, luckily my bedroom windows were closed. No heart monitor dreams for me!
...had a pretty busy day at work with lots of phone calls and replacing in the information booth and data entry.
...walked home.
...still don't know whether my Sweetheart is leaving for Haiti on Monday or not as he has been AWOL since Wednesday night. If he hasn't popped up on Skype by 10:30 or 11:00 tonight, I'm going to call his cell phone.
...am glad it's the weekend, I'm looking forward to some relaxation!
This week's Skywatch photo is a shot of the beautiful sunset I was treated to on my first evening in Prince Edward Island. I drove all the way to Cavendish Beach that first evening. I landed at 6:00 P.M. and was on the beach by 8:00 P.M. It was very windy and rather chilly and my feet froze so badly after I put them in the water that they didn't feel warm again until 3:00 A.M., but I honestly didn't care. The sunset, the sound of the waves and the sea air made it all more than worth a set of frozen toes :o)
To see more Skywatch photos from around the world, stop by the Skywatch Friday blog.
I hope you all enjoy your weekend! Be sure and soak up the Summer sunshine while you can, it's already August and it will be Fall before you know it!
Bay and farmers' fields in Victoria By The Sea, PEI. Click to enlarge and you will see men in boats harvesting oysters.
Today I...
...woke up early with my Sweetheart and sat with him while he ate his breakfast, then went back to bed when he left.
...didn't really get back to sleep, just dozed until I felt rested enough to get up. I will get the hang of this getting back to sleep after Sweetheart leaves for work, it'll just take a while and by the time I'm used to it, I'll be back on a schedule where I'll have to get up early to go to work too :o)
...made it out for a 2.2km jog after work, I was quite happy to be able to get out there, because between being wiped out on Monday and then rain last night, I hadn't been able to run since Saturday!
...just finished Skyping with Sweetheart, a nice end to my evening. He may be leaving for Haiti on Monday, but is not 100% sure yet. He'd like to go down there, but the timing is not the greatest for him right now because of some work he has to get done here and the folks in Haiti are being pretty last minute with making up their minds about whether they want my Sweetheart and E down there on Monday or not. I hope not. He just got back from vacation two weeks ago and I would really like for him to stay home a bit longer before leaving again. He'll hopefully find out whether he's going or not tomorrow.
