Tip 1 (from a chiller):

Stop and smell the roses. Literally. Hold your nose up a little higher passing by budding leaves or moving lawns. Instead of walking and thinking thinking thinking, focus on the leaves and earth around. Pick a smell in the air in the air of a time or place that it reminds you of and reflect on it. Think about a time where you felt extremely close to nature, on a beach, in the forest, on the water. Where it was overwhelming and so peaceful, so quiet. Go there for a little while as you walk, hold a slightly satisfied look on your face, relax your face muscles. Its a good time to focus on not making face wrinkes.

Surfing -> I LOVE YOU!

I am totally inlove with surfing. I just can't get enough. I love the water, I love the surrounding land, birds, trees and waves. I just love everything about it. Mostly I love the way it makes me feel strong and adventurous and peaceful and FUN!

So I was up at Salmon Beach this past weekend and it was amazing. I surfed in the sound, which was totally epic. Cyn took pictures and everything. It was so cool. I wish Jon could have been there...next time.

Here is my latest to date best surf shots:

And there is another ....Welcome baby Arlo!

The latest and greatest baby in our world is the sweet beauty, Arlo. We love him already. He is a little precious package and only 3 weeks younger than his cousin Abigail. Arlo - welcome to a family that will appreciate your testosterone, love you unconditionally and teach you many things. I think you look like your uncle Jon quite a bit (which, by the way, means you look like your Momma).

Here is a dear shot of him just hours old. xoxooxoxoxx

Her name is Abigail!

Here is the beauty now. She is already too cool!
Congratulations to my sister in law Amy Lee Ruff and her new baby daughter Abigail Joy Sinding-Ruff.

New little un-named niece

Welcome you un-named niece (dear little thing) to this world of ours. We will give you lots of love and treat you the best we can. Your uncle Jon calls you a blessing and thinks your Mom is happier than ever since you have been in existence. I think you are a humble little creature; who at 3 hours old, looks wise beyond her years. We will love you for the rest of our lives and are so happy you have decided to join us here on earth this 28th day of February (my fellow Pisces - we will take over the world!).

Cyn and I went to a SPA!

It was awesome. The best part was my sister. She is out right hilarious. I actually feel like together we are funnier than we are apart, but that is just a little theory I have. I suppose it is likely true that when you think someone thinks you are funny, you have more confidence to be or act funny. I try to be that way with most of my friends, family and people I meet. Mostly though, the best funny moments are with someone you totally trust and totally love.

So back to the spa, well…. it was a great time. On the east coast of Vancouver Island, Royston to be exact, the Kingfisher Lodge is something else. We arrived and went right into a hot tub/steam room/sauna/pool area, where we were given a robe that was just the essence of spa in my opinion. Then after we were nice and supple we moved on to our “treatment”. It is called a Hydropath and it is a water treatment involving water massage, circulation and relaxation. Sum it up to “sweet heaven”, that is what I do.

After this we checked into our room, fairly basic, but nice white comforters and cushy pillows and we had a mini fridge where we stored some cold ones. Perfect. We chilled for a while and then sat out on our deck overlooking the ocean for a while, watching the bald eagles flying in and out of the gigantic cedars and hemlocks (hemmies is what us west coasters call em).

Dinner was decided to instead of dining at the lodge, go into town and hit the hot spot…ATLAS café. This is where Cyn pulled her stint. We had a super great meal, starting with homemade spanikapita’s and blue bucks (Victoria beer that hits the spot). We then continued to our entrees big and again amazing. Then we tossed the idea of doing dessert but decided against it cause we had just got off a cleanse and decided we were on the verge of super full anyways.

Then Cyn goes to the washroom…I thought she had ditched me for a smoke cause it took her a while but she arrives back as smiley as she left. I just thought she was happy. But oh now, there was more to it than that. She had gone and talked to the bartender and the waiter and discussed the fact that it was my birthday (which it wasn’t) and that do they “do” anything, like stick a candle in a dessert for the birthday girl/guy. Well she got more then she bargained for, not only did we get a free dessert but the whole restaurant decided to sing along with the wait staff and yes, I was surprised. I was laughing so freaking hard I almost fell over. Cyn was laughing so hard while taking pictures of me (which I will post when she hands them my way) that I had to start singing to keep things moving along. God it was so funny because as people were leaving they were saying happy birthday and man, what a funny spot to be in. Did she ever get a high five from me after the fact. What a night! What a day! To end any day with homemade hot fudge brownie Sunday (including yes, wait for it, ice-cream!!!) is any regular girls dream dessert come true. Add in a day at the spa, a night in a sweet hotel and a hot tub to finish us off in the evening.  

Doesn’t really get much better.

Well, here are some pics – more to come.

*note – Cyn and I had said that we were going up to the spa for “our birthdays”, which is where this idea had originated from (we were not trying to rip the place off).

chilling on the deck...

plumping our lips...

Ready for our night on the town...

In front of Altas where the birthday bash was in full effect.

Boy I am stressed - Lamby to the rescue!

It's official - my job is stressful. There is no doubt that right now I am stressed out. I mean its all good and everything I am managing. I have an old friend visiting, I am going to a spa this weekend and off to Yoga in 20 minutes. But holy, I am feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders this week.

Speaking of spending time upside down, I thought I would add a couple of pictures to ease my stress and make me (and perhaps you - you know who you are Lisa/Jon/Mom/Cyn/...) SMILE (or perhaps laugh out loud).

Lamby getting up to things:

Me and my Lamb-bones just before bedtime:

And finally Lamby, being the king of his castle: