Lamby and Sacha - "Pillow Talk Sessions" (take one).

Lamby: "Hi, I'm Lamby, where's Jon"
Sacha: "Jon's not here"
Lamby: "When is he coming home?"
Sacha: "Why Lamby, do you miss him?"
Lamby: "I kind of do yes"
Sacha: "What do you miss about Jon not being here Lamby?"
Lamby: " I miss how he makes the bed in the morning after you leave and how he places me on it. Sometimes he puts me under the blankets with just my head and my arms out and I think that is kind of funny."
Sacha: "What else do you miss Lamby?"
Lamby: "I miss how he sometimes would place me on top of the covers with a book in my arms, like I was reading, that was pretty funny"
Sacha: "What other fun times with Jon do you remember Lamby?"
Lamby: "The time when he placed the doll Sarah got you with me on the bed, side by side like we were friends. I thought that really funny too”
Sacha: “Do you miss Jon because he is fun and I am not so much fun?”
Lamby: “ Yes, pretty much that is what I miss about Jon. You just get out of bed and leave me where I am, which is usually under the depth of the covers or on the floor. Sometimes I am left pushed under the headboard. It’s pretty uncomfortable being in that position all day Sacha. When is Jon coming home?”
Sacha: “Soon Lamby, soon”
Lamby: “Oh good, that is nice to hear”.
Sacha: “Go to sleep Lamby”
Lamby: “Ok Sacha”
Sacha: “Good night Lamby”
Lamby: “Good night Sacha”

Coffee, I need more coffee.

Hung over at work is no fun. I just want to go home and back to bed. Who plans a Thursday night work party!?!?! BOO. I have a big weekend ahead of me too and am babysitting 3 little girls tonight…which I would be more excited about if I didn’t feel like I had a head the size of a tracker trailer.

Coffee, I need more coffee.

This weekend is Josh’s memorial in Cumberland and I am going to go. It will be sad, but it will be good to be there supporting the community of this really tragic loss. I want to go for Miriam and Neil and the family up there. I want to go to see the guys I used to work with and just be there for them a little. I am that person who is a lot removed, so I could offer a distraction a little as well I am thinking.

I will stay at R’s new house for the night and hope to see Em and meet her little baboo! R and me plan to go snowboarding on Sunday, which will be nice.

Ok fresh coffee is in the house.

November what?

Where did November go? I suppose because I was in transion for the start of it, that might be why I do not even remember it beginning. Spending Halloween in Toronto with my brother was certainly a treat. I went to his local pub (cool), saw a rock show (ya Clay - cool), went to a serious Halloween custome party (way cool), and just was my cool self! ha ha.

Then off to Barrie for work (not cool). Actually, it was good all went well.

Home to Ottawa on the 4th until the 8th and saw like 10 aunts and uncles and 12 (or more) cousins. Another Awesome Halloween party and great time with my folks/grandfolks and a few friends. I am so lucky.  Pictures here:

Now home with Jon until he leaves next Monday for Ft. Mac. Murray. We got in a cabin for the weekend and a crazy amazing surf down south island on a vacation day I took. Pictures here:

So slowly moving through the end of December...not really looking forward to missing Jon, but I am so proud of him. This job is a big deal money wise and a new opprotunity for him. We are working hard right now and supporting one another as usual. It feels good and I know it is for the best in the long run.

Well November - don't finish up too quickly on me.

More Wedding Shots

I learnt that even though you do not have a facebook account, you can link into my pictures and look at my album on Facebook....pretty neat!!! So here are the links to my wedding albums that I have made. The first one is from a combination of shots and the second from Joy!

ENJOY!

My Wedding Day

More Wedding Shots

Slapping Cars on my Bike to Work

Boy it is pretty fun bking to work. I get all suited up in my gear and head out like I am on a mission.

Today I actually ran into a nice black volvo's car mirror. It was just a little tap, but the women started to honk at me and I stopped and backed up and was thinking "Jeeze, it's no big deal Lady" but I had to go access the damage of course, which I knew there was none of. She was like all rude and uppity and yelled "Why did you slap my car" and I was like "I didnt mean to, I am really sorry" and she immediately was like "OH - No Problem".

See, she thought that I was hitting her car giving her crap about something. It's so funny how defensive people are, and then when they realize that the other person is nice... their aggresion just melts away.

I must include myself in that statement :)

Co-op Pimping

After spending the last few days applying for co-op housing, I feel like I have been trying to pimp out Jon and I. Not only as super members of society, but co-operative keeners. Here is some of the words I have used to describe us and why we want to move into a co-op:

Jon and I are recently married and are excited in the possibility of raising a family in a community atmosphere. We are a friendly responsible couple in our mid thirties, with blooming careers and are in a happy loving relationship. We cannot afford to buy a home in Victoria and would rather raise a child in a cooperative community than in a regular apartment building or townhouse complex.  

Now you might think that this is a bit much, but with anywhere from 3 month to 3 year waiting lists we HAVE to be proactive and keen (super keen). And let's be honest, we all know I am somewhat of a keener.  And I wouldn't hesitate to say that Jon is too, but in a more laid back way (hmmm, can you be a keener and be laid back?) anyways...

I remember trying to get a job with Summit (a tree planting company) in my first year of planting. I called the supervisor of this company and left a long message on his machine (I think more than one actually) saying that we were "pounders"(planted a lot of trees) and  "in it for the long haul" (meaning we would stick around for the whole summer plant) and then lastly I referred to us as “super solid”. I think the repetition of "super solid" is what did it in fact, because both Julie and I were hired ...and then teased for a while after that. So, this is not really my first act of pimping myself (and others) out.  Nothing wrong with being the “super solid girls” during the course of the contract, hell we got the job some good laughs out of it. Also, I like to believe we remained that way, Julie and I. Here is a picture of us now... 12 years later, the day before my wedding and still "super solid" friends. I love you Julie and would pimp you out anytime!

Now, back to pimping out my husband and I...

Monday Monday la la la la la la…

Well, its Monday – but my work day is almost done and I get to go home to Jonny Ruff – Yippee.

I love when Jon is working from home, even though he is so tired when he gets home and only usually makes it until about 8:45pm where you will find him sleeping in my lap as I finish up the show or movie that we are watching. It is still a pleasure to have him at home, for dinner and just for laughs. He is funny. I like to think we are funny together and I think we are actually. Or at least my sister Cyn thinks we are funny. And I have to trust that she is really laughing because it’s funny, not just cause I am telling some silly story.

Actually thinking about it I think why Cyn likes the stories so much is because the are stories are about Jon purposely trying to annoy me. Like following me around when I am trying to rush at getting ready or touching me on my arms with random things (like raw meat EW) stuff like that. Mostly crowding me and trying to get in my way when I am busy is what he likes to do to piss me off or more accuratly to get a laugh. It is like what our dog Bibit used to do walk into of you when you were trying to move forward.

Just this weekend we were getting ready to go to a wedding, and I didn’t have much time to get myself ready and Jon hadn’t thought of ironing his clothes himself. So as I was busy yelling at him that I am not his mother (no offense Karen), he was yelling back at me that I was his Wife (his new favourite thing to say). And I repeated myself, but I am not your Mother Jon, and he repeated himself, but you are my Wife! Anyway, it cracked me up and then I did help him/teach him how to do some ironing. But the truth of the matter is the poor thing has never ironed, so not only was he doing a horrible job (don’t say I said that), but at one point he actually just put the iron face down on the ironing board to rest it...like really! what was he thinkingas he was fixing his jacket. Oh Jon. You are good at so many things, but ironing is not your strong suit (don’t mind the pun)J.

So its the funny times at home when we are tired and silly and just trying to get a laugh. The truth is I think we are trying to soak these types of evenings up as much as we can, they are not always going to be so funny...or who knows, maybe they will be?!?!?!

Sharing

That is it really, that was the point of this blog for me from the beginning and sometimes it is weird because I want to write about stuff but I forget the boundaries. Like who am I really sharing with? The fact of the matter is I am trying to share with myself, so that I can go back one day and read a little about what I was thinking and feeling, etc. Yes, it is true, a blog is more public. So therefore I guess more filtered in what I might say compared to a diary and maybe more critical of how I write. But this is OK I think. Day to day there are interesting things that happen in my life that I do not have to be so private or sensitive that I cannot share them with the world. And who is the world really? A couple of friends, some family members, big deal.

So today I am on day  5 of the Wild Rose Cleanse. Boy do I love it. It is so freaking awesome. I reminds me that I have control, that I am clean and fresh and good and not saturated with foods that make me feel sick. Because this is the truth. I am lactose and sensitive to Gluten and just not do well without a lot of fruit, veggies and nuts and seeds in my diet. This is just the way I am. And when I forget it – and start deciding that bran muffins are good for me (even though they are good for some people) and think that a sandwich and cheese is a great idea (which again is for some people) I get sick.

My lightness and good feelings melt away and I feel sluggish and physically sick and mentally defeated. And of course the worst it gets, if I have ice cream and cake or fried food, the worst I feel (I will say though in VERY small quantities I can be OK). I cannot sleep right, I get cramps and literally feel like I need to vomit (sorry for the detail). And then if I do it over and over again I get frusterated at myself for not seeing the problem, or ignoring the problem and become defeated.

Today and most days I feel awesome. I exercise daily and usually do not eat that stuff. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I have my chocolate and a drink once in a while J.

I wanted to write about this though, to remind myself about how much better I feel (and have felt in the last few years) eliminating the foods that make me feel sick and stick to the foods that make me feel awesome.  Remember Sacha (and those reading)…It’s all about how you “feel”. Feeling good and being healthy makes me want to experience life in a more positive attitude.

The truth is (for me anyways) without your health things are quite challenging. And we do not realize that until we lose it, and I have lost my health in the past and it was a very scary experience.

The first time I couldn’t walk because my legs were so sore. I couldn’t run for weeks and it felt like torture to imagine that I wouldn’t be able to run again. This episode came on because I had an infection that my body couldn’t tell me about. It was a bladder infection and I felt no signs or symptoms. Finally when it went to my kidneys I got really sick. This was the second time I felt the wrath of not being healthy.  And it was horrible. I was hospitalized in the end, admitted in a completely in a septic state. 5days in the hospital with a horrible Kidney infection. No fun.

So I try to take care of myself and remember how it is when unhealthiness exists in the body and how tough it makes things for you. When my body is happy and healthy I make better decisions and I feel good. Why wouldn’t I want that all the time?

 PS I didn’t really know where this blog post was going at first, but I am happy that I was able to share old and new moments of my life.

Shit Day

Today is a shit day (excuse my language). My stupid outlook is down so I have to use webmail and my computer still will not create shortcuts which annoying the bejesus out of me and doesn't make sense. That is the problem with this outlook issue. It doesnt make sense! Sometimes I literally feel crazy when things like this happen.

Tonight is book club night and I can hardly wait to have a big glass of red wine and try to relax and try to let these stupid little things not get to me.... although, they sure did today. 

Listen to me. I am just mad cause I have been snacking on cheese and crackers today and my stomach is killing me because of it. Tummy is in dissary, my computer sucks, and my work is not easy today.

You know what - I need to go on a nice long walk...that is my plan. Get me the hell out of this office I say!

I'm Your Man

The most memorable night of my life (yes, my wedding night), I was having Greek food and loving the atmosphere under a outdoor cozy big white tent, with lanterns hanging from the ceiling and candles and flowers and colours making it glow wonderfully. There was a petter-patter of rain lightly hitting the roof and a 3 story chocolate cake on a table in the corner with flowers decroarted like they were crawling up it on a vine.

Looking across the table at my and Jon’s parents, feeling me sister (my rock) and best friend beside me I felt so glad to be near them on this night. And then of course on my left sat Jon, and everytime I glanced at him I felt alive and mistified with joy. And there was a game where you couldn’t just clang the glass to watch us kiss, but you had to sing a song with the word "love" in it. And I thought that was cool, watching our families try their best to think of songs and visit with one another and all the rest.

And as dinner went on, and the plates were cleared I decided it was time to give Jon and I’s thank you speech. And when it came to an end, Jon asked me if I was finished and I said yes and he said then it was his turn and he got out a piece of paper. He held the piece of paper, and turned towards me, a little shaky he started singing the song “I’m your man” by Leonard Cohen. As he continued  his deep voice got stronger and the look in his eyes were true. He sang the entire lyrics to me infront of everyone, but it was like there was no one except us. He sang it with such heartfelt that I stood there with tears of joy and love in my eyes and felt so touched.

If you want a lover
I'll do anything you ask me to
And if you want another kind of love
I'll wear a mask for you
If you want a partner
Take my hand
Or if you want to strike me down in anger
Here I stand
I'm your man

If you want a boxer
I will step into the ring for you
And if you want a doctor
I'll examine every inch of you
If you want a driver
Climb inside
Or if you want to take me for a ride
You know you can
I'm your man

Ah, the moon's too bright
The chain's too tight
The beast won't go to sleep
I've been runnin' through, these promises to you
That I made and I could not keep
Ah but a man never got a woman back
Not by beggin' on his knees
Or I'd crawl to you baby
And I'd fall at your feet
And I'd howl at your beauty
Like a dog in heat
And I'd claw at your heart
And I'd tear at your sheet
I'd say please
I'm your man

And if you've got to sleep
A moment on the road
I will steer for you
And if you want to work the street alone
I'll disappear for you
If you want a father for your child
Or only wanna walk with me a while
Across the sand
I'm your man

If you want a lover
I'll do anything you ask me to
And if you want another kind of love

I got Married!

I feel older, wiser and more confident than I have ever felt before. Not only in myself, but in my path of life. Alongside my husband I will be. It was a perfect day, would have been better if there were more hours in the day. We laughed, we cried, we canoed down a river, had the ceremony under an arbor with flowers all around and it was gorgeous. It was so beautiful, I was beautiful, and everyone around me too. there were horses and gardens and a caring loving new family I was entering that gave it a glow of warmth that I am so thankful for.

We had some rain, some clouds and then this incredible rainbow…There was good luck all around and singing and dancing under a black light even. There were shots of Yager and G&T’s, a bonfire and a sauna and swimming in the river and hanging out on the dock in the dark completed the night. Pulled beef buns, and chocolate cake and some of the best homemade Greek food I have ever tasted and all the ingredients were fresh from the garden. I watched them pull the cucumbers myself the night before.

There were little touches of love and inspiration in moments of time, in flower arrangements, in napkin ring holders and poems. I will add the words to my most favourite poem in the world now. The one my grandfather wrote for Jon and I a week before the big day.

With my family by my side and my best friend smiling me on, I was the true "me" throughout the day and night.

I couldn’t have hoped for a better man to love and commit myself to, on a more perfect day to declare it to one another.

Life is a feeling

There is so much exciting things going on right now I wonder how it will be when it all dies down. Does it ever really die down though, I mean the reality is that life is filled with so much “stuff”. Even if it is just “stuff”, like day to day, we love our lives mostly. I have been thinking about life a little these days. Is life worth it to live, even if we are given a really horrible life? Of course, definition of horrible can be certainly misconstrued therefore perhaps not a fair question. But what is life worth? No matter how long or quality of life – is it still better to have lived?

 

For me, life is like this insanely amazing place. I have always thought I have felt a lot of life. In growing pains where I would cry for hours and not know why (hormones) and other types of pain - physical pain (emergency root canal), emotional pain (losing relationships), mental (scared, confused, angry). But even when I was going through painful times of my life, I remember thinking how lucky and what an experience this was, to feel so much of something. I think that has been my most prized life possession, the ability to feel pain and happiness, both equally.

I know in my most painful times and at my most happy times I would find a tree or a lake, a piece of grass in a park, something in nature to soothe and comfort me. I feel so free and so much more at ease in those places, close to ducks or water lilies, even if I have to run or walk to get there and soak it in. They mention these days and ages the deficit of nature in young humans and I am fascinated in this revelation; however, absolutely not surprised.  

Anyway, more and more as I go through life and experience these happy (and sad) life experiences, I think about what a gift we are given every day. To wake up and walk around, think independently, eat good whole foods, wash ourselves, take care of ourselves, look at nature, visit with the ones we love, sleep with the ones we love, in a bed, in a clean home, etc, these are the true gifts in life. We live this privileged life that is so fantastical, it is really almost ridiculous. It is like a dream and we should be thanking the stars every night for giving us this treat, this sample of the world that encompasses us and does its best to give us a fresh day, every day.

I believe that if life only gave you one thing and that thing was to experience a feeling, that life would still be worth living. 

Happy Canada Day!

It’s CANADA DAY tomorrow and Robin’s birthday AND Amy is in town. Promising to be fun. Not only that but me and Cynnie are going up to the property! It has been forever since I have been up and been in the water, totally looking forward to that and hanging out with my sis.

My life lately has been stressful because of work, so I really feel like I need this time off to recoup.

My trip home deserves its own post and I really am going to make the time soon to give it what it deserves. My parents are my heros and I love them so much. They threw me the party of my lifetime and I will never forget it. I am so thankful I have this loving and beautiful family that surrounds me (this includes my old friends – because they will always be a part of my family too). And new to my family is my husband-to-be (in 6 weeks!). He is over the moon with excitement and happiness, which melts my heart from the inside out.

A salut to all Canadians that I love this weekend. Happy Canada Day.

xoxoxoxoxoox

Not easy having a blog.

It’s not easy having a blog – there is guilt involved when you do not keep it updated, and to be honest it is a commitment. The reason I wanted to have a blog in the first place is try to capture moments/times in my life so that I could reflect upon them when I need/want to. I find it such an amazing fact of the  world right now, that we have the technology to keep our words preserved until the end of time. That is what the fact really is. Websites providing this service are really storing individuals day to day history, forever. It is pretty far out when I think that we wouldn’t of ever predicted that we would have capabilities like this 30 or so years ago, reminds me of Margret Atwood.

I am going to post more in the next months, mark my words (and store them for ever)...ha ha ha

A letter to Jon - from HWY 417

So what is more lame…getting backended on the 417 in the middle of rush hour or waiting on the 417 for the cops to show up? Yes – you got it. They are equal in their lameness. It is seriously not my day. I need a drink.

So hows my guy…wish I could call you right now, but no cell to speak of. And therefore the highway hanging out is all I got here and I can use my word and write you a little letter and feel a bit better and a bit more productive then doing absolutely nothing but staring and traffic passing us. I even had a guy yet out “Idiot” to me. Great. Thanks buddy, yah, its all my fault isn’t it? I am the one in front. I automatically win. The guy behind me loses; it isn’t rocket science who is in fault here.

Anyway, whatever, its 30 degrees, sunny…who wouldn’t want to be in hot traffic smelling exhaugst and wanting water. Maybe this is what I get for being so cute. Ha ha ha. I mean though in the big sheme of things I got it so good, so this is a like a little “dent” (pardon the pun) to make it even in the long run. I don’t know about that, but lets go with it.

The bumper on the Element looks like ass – sorta evens out the dings in the sides I guess. The car makes noises like its from 1995, and the clutch still squeeks. Matt says that sometimes it goes away – maybe it’s the way I drive it, that is what my Dad might say. SO the funny thing is that the windshield whiper fluid light is on, and the check maintenance light. Also with my experience with my Dad’s car last week – the wind shield washer was out there as well. Funny yet retarded. But hey, that sums up my family some times.

Oh – I see cops in the distance – hope they are mine.

By the way - the guy who rear ended me was nice enough to take a picture with his iphone and send it to me via email so that I have memories for ever. awesome.

Work is Crazy

Shoot - I hardly have time for this. And yet here is is 8pm and I am still at work - crazy right? Well, I did just get back to work after a work out and dinner :)

But it is true my work is nuts right now. If I do not have this solution design that I am heading across the country to demo, right, I think I might burst into tears right in front of the client, which would be pretty silly and highly embarressing.

HOWEVER, I have been put on the spot in phone conferences suggesting that this onsite visit will determine the project success up to this point. Yikes.

Well, that being said, back to work!!!

Thankfully I have a wedding to get drunk at, with 5 of my closest girlfriends in the world, and they will make me laugh and forget the stressses that await the next week.

Who are we kidding? What stresses? It's going to be fine. I am Pro. My solution design is tight.
A - 1.

ps Keep your fingers crossed for me.

xoxoxoxoxo
sacha

Ode to Sombrio

I went surfing on Thursday after work and I think tomorrow (holiday Monday) might be worth a trip up for a  sunset surf. I have been realizing lately what a stress reducer my time in the water is - specifically at Sombrio beach. In the water I do not really think about anything except the waves, or the water, or the birds, or the whales (that I may or may not see). I guess I might think about my technique and my wave count and who is around me in the water, but not tons. And I do not want to talk too much and usually, the others surfers do not either. A nod, a smile, a little, hey hows it going, usually does it.

And then when I get out and I reflect about my time in the water from the beach, looking back at the breaking waves that I was just in, I think how clear my head is. How every worry that was on my mind earlier had just melted away. That it is all OK. Walking up the trail back to the parking lot, gazing up at some of the oldest protected trees on the island I feel so light, so happy. I feel in touch with nature, in touch with myself that I almost I feel giddy. I feel reflective and young. I feel like I could do anything, handle any situation. To be honest, retrospecitively, it is almost like I find life's meaning there. That somewhere in my subconcious I have discovered the secret to life, my life anyway. And I am in a state of devine peace. It sounds "too much" maybe, but it is a true feeling that I have and I want to make myself accountable for it. To remember it and treasure it. I do have a strong belief and have for along time that nature is my god. One day I will write on that one and try to articulate what that means.

I know now for sure where I will go at any time in my life where I feel like I "cannot take it anymore". It's funny cause I have been surfing at Sombrio for 8 years now, and the feeling of comfort and love and peace gets stronger and stronger every time I am there. It is way to beautiful, the trees are way too big. You feel like a small thing in this world and maybe that is why your worries vanish into thin air, because in the big picture up there, they do not mean anything. I can understand why people have just wanted to live there and have lived there. I think it is a special place, with special powers.

I think I am very lucky that I have found a place that I can escape the city to go to; arrive in less than two hours and know without a doubt I will leave with a complete sense of utter healing.

Togetherness apart.

My blog application was down the last couple times I tried to post ...

This post is about a togetherness, even when you are far apart. Yes, it is about Jon and I and how life is without him. I miss him. I do. I mean it is hard to complain too, because for him, it is the last thing he needs to hear. It's his job, his means to sustain himself, our selves and to complain to him does not do anything but make him feel badly. What is the point?

Secondly - to let it get to me is futile. It does not help, it hinders. What do you do when you feel lonely and sad? Nothing productive let me tell you :) So do you ignore it, do you pretend happiness?Yes, that technique does work to an extent, keep busy, have plans, make plans, fill your week with a mix of visiting and quiet evenings. Try your hardest to eat right - make meals even though it is just for one.

The reality of the situation is that in the big picture life is perfect and in the months that Jon is away I have to remember how independent I am. How much I love to spend time with myself and how to take advantage of the time alone, instead of feeling lonely.

Cleanse update

So I went for a 24 hour juice cleanse. Didn't love feeling hungry so I ate peanuts to suffice. Low energy the next day...not really my thing. done and done.

Back to just eating clean and prospering.

yah!

oh Victoria - when are you planning to show off some of your amazing spring weather?!?!

Another busy day at work - 2 workshops - 1 demo, goodtimes.

Cleanse Me.

This Easter weekend coming up I am planning on a 4 day juice cleanse. This is to compliment my current cleanse or diet (however you want to call it), which goes a little somethink like this: no flour, no sugar, no booze, no fun, ha ha ha. This juice cleanse will end Monday at 6pm for an Easter dinner, which will be nice treat. It starts Friday morning with a 9am workout with my trainer and then a facial at my favorite spa (Silk Road).

I feel like my attempts to be as healthy as I can are really paying off. I feel good, I feel strong and I have more energy than I have had in a while. I am a bit of a health nut anyway, so this transition is not challenging for me, it feels more like a natural progression towards how I want to eat for the rest of my life. I mean, realistically it may not be super feasible to have this time and money in other periods in my life, but I hope that I can take a lot what I learn from this 6 week trial  and incorporate into my every day and least as much as I can.

I certainly do not feel like I am starving myself. In fact it’s somewhat of the opposite. I had a big smoothie this morning with a full banana, ½ cup of blueberries, 1.5 scoops of hemp hearts and a cup of almond milk. I just got back from lunch where I had a raw “burger”, which is sweet hearty heaven. Dehydrated type of bun and a patty made out of mushrooms and seeds and goodness. With a sundried tomato “ketchup” and a tahini tasting “mayo”, sunflower seed spouts, lettuce and tomato. I picked up some yam crackers (dehydrated) for my organic black bean soup and avocado I am having for dinner. I also had a mango ball…which is a treat type raw dessert.   I am actually quite full.

Snacks are endless on this cleanse. I eat prunes, raw nuts, veggie pate and wheat-free/gluten-free organic crackers. I buy young coconuts and cut of the heads and drink the water and eat the inside young coconut meat…sounds barbaric but it is sweet sweet stuff. I even made a raw phai thai on Sunday for the hockey game that Jon and Cyn raved about. This recipe came from my friend Susan Prior who has a great raw food recipe book that I highly recommend for anyone interested in cooking raw foods. http://alive-n-well.net/ 

Anyway, just thought I would share a little something, it’s been a while. Plan to write a bit while on my cleanse. Perhaps I will add a journal entry talking to something abstract and not self absorbing J .

Thanks for the distraction, blog

I am thinking of a theme to go with for a note on my blog and I am so full of work thoughts, this morning's thoughts and planning this evening's thoughts, I can barely think or write about anything else. I need some tea and then I will attempt my large list of items that I have to start/complete work on. I think the fact that the list is so enormous makes me less motivated, shorten the list Sacha ------ FOCUS!

Well, at least there is a hockey game to look forward to tonight. I am Canuck crazy and about to get HD for sports channels – super cool! And then wedding invites – the bain of my existence right now. I have to get them out the door – holy smokes! When I am done and they are received by the lucky 14, I will post a couple of pictures of them and talk about them a little, because they are really special to me.

Ok that’s it – thanks for the distraction, blog – but I must buckle down and get this work done.

Whale Awe

Whales.

Oh my god, why are we as humans so completely freaked out when we see whales? Is it there enormous stature? Is it that they are a mammal that breathes and breed in the water? Is it that they travel so far to breed and eat in order to survive? Or is it not just one of these reasons but a combination of them all?

Jon and I are so very lucky to have bought this land. My dreams are being fulfilled by being there at Salmon Beach. Sure the little cabin is great, and the deck and fire pit are great and the heater and stove are great…but the greatest of all is the surrounding area that we look out on too. This past weekend I was in awe and at one point found tears in my eyes as I was watching the whales out 20 meters in front of me mate, or rubbing their barnacles or whatever they were up to. I found myself at one point running down the rocky beach at full sprint to get closer even though I could barely move because of what I was seeing. My binoculars are fantastic – even in the rainy conditions they do not fog up and the view is crystal clear. I would be passing them to Jon and jumping up and down, because even without the binoculars you could see CLEARLY that there were multiple grey whales (or humpbacks?)  in front of us in the ocean. The spouting was all over the sound… their big backs a plenty…but the best was the dorsal fins (?) side fins were exposed and you could imagine them upside-down and the huge 2 meter distance of their body between them. WILD.

Anyway – enough blabbing about it – see for yourself….

The Ucluelet cabin get-a-way weekend

I have been really bad lately by not posting, I know. I usually do my blog posts at lunch and will have to try to get in that routine again. It has been too tempting lately to leave the office and wonder around outside now that the weather is getting a little better.

The Ucluelet cabin get-a-way weekend was a couple back and oh boy was it great. They upgraded us to an ocean front cabin, as we went up on the Friday that the earthquake shook Japan and the Tsunami warnings scared a good number of travelers I guess.  Fair enough. The snow on the pass was totally nuts, the weather was up and down – but mostly raining sheets, good weekend for cabining – not for camping. We did have some good breaks on Saturday to get out for a hike and a surf, but we tried to hang in the cabin for amazing homemade food that was brought up, beer and wine and Settlers of Catan. The cabin had a Jacuzzi so we all managed to get in a hot soak and pampered ourselves with pedicures and face masks.

So the story goes that me and 3 girlfriends from tree planting were really tight one summer and partied and pounded (the trees in the ground) better than any girls at the company we were working for. We were on a close planting crew with great loving people with similar mind sets and at a time of age of freedom and self discovery.

At the end of the summer (and the planting season) we decided to get a tattoo to remember our our strong bond of a friendship we had created with one another.  So, we had the artist in the group draw out a simple stamp like tree tattoo that was pleasant and cute and well, just perfectly fit with what we all envisioned. The foot was chosen as the spot for the ink and we went for it. The tattoo shop was in Smithers, BC and not once have I regretted that decision. I remember the afternoon after getting the tattoo, resting on the grass, in a park with the late summer breeze and feeling totally at peace with the world and with myself. Those were some of the best days of my life. That was almost 10 years ago.

The cool thing is that there have been times where at least two of us have been approached by a person who has recognized by our tattoo, they say “ I know someone with that same tattoo” and we would have to say something along the lines of “I bet I can tell you who it is”.

For the last few years we have reconnected at campgrounds, cabins and in one another’s homes. We keep track of one another’s partners, travels and new life experiences. More recently we are watching and sharing our experiences with marriage plans and babies and the joy and sorrow of these major life changes bring. These girls, even though not close in proximity, are very close to my heart.

Here are some pictures from our last get together (unfortunately one is absent from this trip – but was not far from our thoughts).

Middle Name Thoughts

I replied to my friends blog today. She was requesting thoughts on middle names and I decided my response was something I wanted to share on my own blog, so here we go...

My middle name is Maria - pronounced Mariah, as in Mariah Carey, and to be honest I never loved it because of that. However, I was named after my Grandmother, Mary. Why Maria and not Mary?  I am still unclear of that.  I am not a fan of Mary either, but I do like Maria,  pronounced Maria. This is because of the Spanish “Maria del Mar” - which I sometimes consider to keep in my back pocket for a daughter one day. Maria first name, del Mar being the middle name. It means “Mary of the Sea” and although I am not religious by any stretch, I do love the sea and love the way the name sounds as it rolls off the tongue.

SO Happy Today

I am happy today. I got some awesome news from a friend, it is Friday, I am going snowboarding this weekend, it is Book club tonight, and I get to see my friend Clare who I have not seen in months - too long really! So really, how could I not be happy? Oh and I worked out with my trainer this morning and noticed that I had 4 more sessions when I thought I only had 2. Its sunny out and me and some co-workers are off to Noodle Box for lunch...life is good.

Hello Winter!

Holy smokes. Its f'ing freezing!! Like, really, what is going on here! First the snow dump - wild and kinda fun, didn't mind that- but this blowing below "0" stuff... really!?!?!

Was it my previous post about February and now I am being reminded of how crappy this month is in other places in Cananda? I truly felt today like I remembered the reason why I am not a fan of the cold winter days of the east.  Anyway, I have pictures to post so I will try and do that tonight. Just wanted to vent a little...

Ten Minute Timeline.

I have 10 minutes before a meeting and decided to write a post about nothing particular.
I was telling Jon a few weeks ago how around this time of year I am a little confused to actually what time of year it actually is. I know this sounds strange and it is, but it is true. It is times of tiredness or stress where I need to write down the month on a piece of paper, or think about it really quickly and randomly and I don't freaking know it. I feel like it could be November, or April - but not necessarily the month we are in. Weird. it is. I know my brain is a bit different than others...and maybe it is what makes me special.

shoot...I gotta go (my 10 minutes turned into 3) and...for the record - it is February here today ;)

Happy Valentines Day

We had such a fun filled weekend this weekend. We started with a awesome dinner and visit with Hilary on Friday night. Me, Jon, Cyn and Hil went out to Ferris's Oyster Bar – we had a great time with such a good old friend!

Not a late night however, as Hil's flight was at 6am and Jon and I decided to go snowboarding on Saturday, which also requires an early wake up.

So early morning road trip, to a crazy heavy powder day on the hill. Boy, it was a blast!!! A bit tough going though, skiers and snowboarders were falling and even walking down the hill everywhere. It was hilarious. With minimum of like 2 feet of fresh snow on the hill it was just a bit of a shit show. The snow was so deep that it was hard to get back up and lean back to do the power type riding you need to do to stay afloat. When you fell, if you went off track - you most times had to dig yourself, including your face. Man, I was laughing so hard, I was having trouble breathing because of all my gear around my nose and mouth (helmet, goggles and the face mask). It is so crazy when you have no control of yourself and bail all over the place - somersaults were the theme of the day. Thankfully Jon was near me for my fall that landed me head first, with not much access to my snowboard. It was too funny beacuase I had no idea where he was, it was like a white out and then after getting my head up so that I could look around I realize he was like 4 feet in front of me! I was practically crying I was laughing so hard, probably had to be there, and unfortunately because it was so wet and blizzard - we didn’t take the camera. We came home for dinner and hockey and passed out after the first period.

The next morning we had brunch at the Oak Bay Marina with our Ruff/Vaartnou family in Victoria. It was a lovely buffet and I ate enough for breakfast and lunch - plus! I even treated myself to a piece of cheesecake for dessert...sweet heaven. We are so lucky to have such supportive, amazing and beautiful people to call our family in the city.

Jonny and I had a quiet Sunday, organizing and cooking for the week. I made a lasagna and a cabbage soup and we had a relaxing evening watching Lost episodes.

So for Valentine’s Day this year, we will have a nice dinner and relax with the end of the last season of Lost – good times.

Oh yeah, and we will tell one another how much we love each other. We won't forget that - so neither do you!

See the pictures below of me, Peter and my precious niece Gabriel and then the rest of the fam!

Time is ticking...

I feel like the days and weeks are flying by so fast sometimes its like "hey...wait for me!"
It has a lot to do with being insanely busy at work, so busy I am not getting anything done. But slowly and surely, things will slow down, they always do. I am working on the Company's highest priority project at the moment...and out of 65 active projects, that is something to be said.

And now I have the news of Jonny returning to work (on MONDAY) to deal with. The beginning of the end. ha ha. So we have a few days to cherish. Going snowboarding on Saturday (I will take some pics!) and a brunch on Sunday with his Family - good times will be had.

It is what it is, when Jon leaves. And in little ways, for a short time, it will be nice - like having the bed to myself, doing whatever I want, like watching some stupid TV shows. But after a while, I know it will become lonely and I will miss him more and more until he leaves me for months (for spring plant) and then it will be brutal. and then the light will sun high in August when he home for a month at least. Jeeze, and we get married. holy smokes. See --- another reason life is flying by right now, soooo much to look forward too.

I am very excited because I am going to be in a surf competition on my birthday!!!! How cool is that? I am so stoked.

Anyway, I really have to get back to work,  just wanted to "get it out" a little. More details to come on the above.
XO
Sacha

Mornings with my Trainer.

I am so excited! This is the first trainer that I am working with in the morning and wow, what  a difference I feel already. My soul feels happyJ. I am just so stoked to be burning calories all day long. Usually I work out after work... but this might really work. I always get fit, but I would like to lose about 10 pounds for my “big day”.

This big day may be moved up to the summer now too! Jon and I have been thinking that it would be really nice to have a warm summer night to hang out, eat, drink and be merry.

It is not 100% yet, but it is something we are considering. I am looking forward to the family party. I can barely wait to get the Cooper’s and Ruff’s together for some fun.

My parents are in Texas at the moment – cruising around with a car they rented out of Phenoix. Jon’s parents are in Peru. My next vacation is off to T.O for Ingrid’s wedding and to visit all my family including my cousin’s new additions! I am so excited for some family time.

Anyway, just a quick update. All is well.

I am including a picture from Costa Rica that I like below. Jon has a big face in this one, but the clouds behind and the sun kissed look is my favourite.

Peaceout.

I got engaged!

It’s been too long – I hate that. Oh well, here is a quick update as work is terribly busy and I am squeezing this note.

I got engaged. That sounds so grown up I feel. And a little weird, but definitely a "great" weird! It is a different feeling though, for sure. I haven’t quite found the words to describe it quite yet, but we are so happy and in a bit of a bubble right now. It was a beautiful sunset when he proposed, one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen in my life. And of course it will coinside with one of the f the best moments in my life. He asked me to marry him on “big beach” at Salmon Beach and that in itself was perfect. The weekend before it, we surfed it at high tide and it was blistering cold and hailing. When I first went out in the water in I lost my breathe because of the cold. It was crazy. Anyway, 2011 could have not started anymore perfect. That morning Jon and I saw two wolves and he took that as a sign of companionship. The ring he bought me is so beautiful and it has a band where in connects in the middle but than two split apart. Jon says that he thought it was perfect as he thinks that we are bonded but that we also are independent. I said right away “Does this mean I get to fool around?”.

I think I am hilarious!

Cyn and I met ramdomly for a dinner out last night and I received a beautiful necklace from her. I emailed her this morning to thank her again, and she replied with exactly how I am feeling right now in her response...

"The necklace is your tree of life... and you are at a whole new chapter."

I am so lucky.