Happy New Year!

Yes, tis the time. All I know is that I did something I probably have not done all year, I had a Tim Horton’s breakfast sandwich this morning on my way to work today (a little hung-over). And as I was eating that yummy biscuit feeling slightly ill and slightly in heaven, I thought to myself well, might as well...cause as soon as the new year comes and I get nothing....ha ha!

I love how I envision most years, I will not lie, a year without bad foods, over indulging, laying around the house instead of going to the gym, eating chocolate for dinner...and then 2 weeks in, I find myself doing one of the items mentioned and I say - SCREW IT.

Of course I am being a bit hard on myself. I do actually have good habits and do a pretty good job at taking care of myself...and it is true that I have a new gym membership, paid for 16 sessions of a personal trainer and plan to really get back in "gym" shape this year. Surfing is a lot of muscle memory and I walk to work and swim, but do not push myself like I do at the gym. It is not like I have put on any pounds, but not going to the gym the last year has affected my body fat % and muscle mass to unsatisfactory levels. So, back at er.

I suppose that is my new year’s resolution, to go to the gym, although the truth of the matter is that I am a huge fan of working out and really am looking forward to it, sooooo, I am not making a resolution this year. I rarely do, and if I do I cannot remember it a few months later.

Oh wanna hear a good one? Jon's new year’s resolution is to get himself hooked up with Play station Online. HA HA. Who makes a resolution like that?

It’s Christmas Time!

It’s Christmas Time!

I knew it was for real on December 6 (yes, we started early this year), when Jon put on the Charlie Brown Christmas album for the first time this year. We had our tree up on the 12^th, and were toasting eggnogs by the 14^th. Party on we say.

It is the first live tree we have had in the apartment. We cut down our tree on the way home from surfing up near Sombrio, down some old logging road. At first I was hesitant to kill a tree by chopping it down, but when Jon put it in perspective – “Sacha, between us we have planted over 2 million trees” I was like “Right, no big deal”. And got over it pretty quickly.

Since then we have been snuggling up to the tree in the evenings and planning our cabin trips for the holidays. We have recently decided to go up on Christmas day, as there is a south swell coming which means we will have waves walking distance away from the cabin and will be surfing on Christmas Day. This makes two years in a row, although last year the waves kind of sucked.

Jon bought a ham and are planning on our “Saturday night special” for Christmas dinner. This is ham, eggs and beans…mmm. We like to start with some hot toddies in the early evening and a couple games of backgammon. Jon bought some rum back from Costa Rica and that was smart thinking (8$ a bottle)...rum, hot water, butter and sugar = warm glow in the pit of the tummy.

This Sunday, we had our West coast Christmas celebration with the Vaartnou’s (Jon’s aunt and uncle) and with Robin, Jacques and precious Gabrielle.  What a feast and, as always, a very good time.

Christmas Eve has been planned for quite some time now. Cyn and I are totally excited about it! We will spend the day/evening playing games, drinking and snacking. There is French onion soup and baked beans with bread planned for dinner and chocolate fondue for dessert. We will be opening all gifts and relaxing as much as possible. We are definitely happy to have time with Cyn, as it has been busy since we have been back from Costa Rica. With surfing and snowboarding on the weekends we have not had as much visit-time as I and Jon would have liked.  

We promise to take lots of pictures around our tree and of the Christmas surf. OH Almost forgot – I got the best Christmas present of the year so far yesterday (and it will most likely stay that way as gifts to me mean nothing compared to words and pictures written and taken of the ones I love).  My little brother Matty sent me a Christmas card including a Polaroid picture of him and Santa from a downtown TO subway. It is way too cool.  It is not easy, as I miss my family to bits and pieces around this time of year. I have to keep it in perspective how lucky I am though - I got Cyn and Jon and of course Jon’s awesome family to back us up.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Time to fess up

One of the main reasons I started a blog was because I totally and utterly enjoy reading a few other blogs that my friends have and I thought it would be a perfect way to keep my family in the loop and get out some of the thoughts in my head. Anyway, I find myself these days, when I have a little time at work, going and reading blogs INSTEAD of updating mine. And if blogs are not updated, the less I go and check them out so hello Sacha, get with the program right? Jeeze. Ok - So back to it I promise.

I will continue with Costa Rica and wrap it up in one more post tying in the final post with the theme of "Sunsets and Nights". And I also really want to write about Christmas time, cause it is happening and then there is also the cabin reno's we are doing, becasue they are happening too.

Jon is up at the cabin this week, surfing a south swell and trying to get up as much of the tongue and groove pine on the inside walls as he can. We laid a linoleum floor down last weekend that makes the place so bright and wicked. Super happy about the heat it keeps in too. And the look again is like 150% better than the plywood look we had going on. Pictures to come soon I promise.

Tonight the Canucks are playing and I have a phone date with my Mom and am flying solo --- sounds like a party and I am looking forward to it. I also will be starting the wild rose cleanse Friday....which yes, sounds like a crazy time to do it right before Christmas, but for me makes perfect sense. You start the holidays with no indulging in heavy foods and no drink and then when they come, it really feels like a treat. Anyway, for me it works and that's all I gotta say about it.

Robin sent me a picture that she took a couple of weekends ago during a visit with Gabrielle that we had after a day in the surf. This is cute ---- I overheard Jon talking to her a couple days ago, planning a visit with her and the baby on his way up to the cabin and he referred to the baby as Gab-Gab (which I thought was pretty damn adorable). Anyway, she is getting bigger by the month and is just such a sweet little girl. I am in love.