I was almost late for work snapping a pic or two on my way across campus after my morning workout.
It snowed fresh overnight and there was a thick fog this morning, making a cm of hoar frost coating everything in sight. It's the little things like this that make life grand...
My husband and furfriends missed me I think. :) I got home quite late last night to a smiling J and 2 very affectionate cats. I had a nice weekend in Vancouver. I learned a lot, had incredible research learning opportunities and then spent the weekend relaxing with J's family. The *cool* auntie :) Added bonus was that both her daughters were there too, which was nice. I get along really well with older daughter, who's had a lot of health stuff to deal with in the last year - like being diagnosed with IBS AND freaking cervical cancer. After a year of surgeries and treatments I am happy to say she is cancer free now. She and I shared a room together and talked until the wee hours and caught up on so much...
I am also convinced J's aunt is a saint - she has taken her younger daughter and her young grandson back into her home after retiring and she and her new husband are trying to look after them both as her daughter goes back to school to try and make a life for herself and her son while the other daughter deals with incredible life sh*t and her husband recovers from a heart attack. I hugged her and her husband a lot because they are fantastic. She's J's second mum really and he misses her and loves her to pieces. I do too. I was sad at times watching mother and daughters together, seeing what I can't have anymore...but then they would take me along, and let me know I *was* family...and for that I am eternally grateful. I missed my mum a lot this weekend, but it was OK. It was all very satisfying. I wish J could have been there. In Vancouver I was in a hotel near the ocean and managed to go for a sunrise run along the ocean the first morning there. I can now inform you that running along the ocean harbour listening to Burst Generator by the Chemical Brothers while the sun peeks up over the mountains and glistens all over the water is one of THE best ways to start the day. It's official. It increases internal glowiness by 2000% :)
Add to that multiple sushi excursions, a trip to the amazing toy store, the best Dimsum in the 'verse and a trip to the giant chinese $2 store where I loaded up on sushi and bento gear that I've always wanted but could never find? It made the long extended flight home worth it :) It's good to be home tho. It's been a busy few weeks.
There are exciting prospects with me and work and my MSc project which is turning into an incredible working relationship with a national program for quality control...where (GEEEP!) it is starting to look like my project will be adapted into their national testing program! I get to be involved on all levels. They want me to succeed so they can succeed. It blows my mind. Little ol' me is working to make this kind of testing better nation wide. Holy guacamole batman!
Yes. Life is exciting my friends. Gobble it up before it gets away from you :)
I've been downright hermity from this blog, but I was making the most of my time away. Honest.
After so much insanity I had 10 days off.
Glorious.
Christmas was rather mellow and lovely. Received some new kitchen gadgets to play with and had lots of delicious food and mulled wine. I'm all stocked up on naps in the sun, banana daiquiris, eggnog and ginger cookies, pancakes (my new fave is lemon poppy seed...heaven), dancing, movie watching, reading and general slothfulness. New years was a great Tron themed dance party with friends on a quick zip away to Edmonton. I even managed to recover my tattered old favourite blanket with some new soft material and then snuggled under it for days watching movies...
Fantastic. :)
I sorely wish I didn't have to come back to reality, but I'm ready I think.
I can already feel the exercise boost after many days away...and it's a whole new year. 2011! New things to try. Work to do. Booty to shake. So many mad schemes to hatch.
Yah dah da da daah! These happy people are my friends Heather and Larry. Heather is an amazing smart woman - a great friend (she even works in a lab...we are too much alike). I (and many others) have never been able to figure out why she had not found someone as amazing as her to spend her life with. Then a few years ago she met Larry- and yup, it was love. We all think he's great, and I know I'm happy to see the two of them so much in love and so happy.
And (me hee) the two of them just got engaged! CONGRATULATIONS hotstuff.
