Day 218 - Downtown with the Browns!

I've decided 5.5 hrs of sleep isn't near enough! After being rear ended & driving home in a blinding slush/snow storm at 1/2 the speed limit, having to wake up at 0600 is just not my idea of a rockin' good time.


Nonetheless, I haul my butt outta bed & get everything packed up. I was off to the coast to see Jaco for a mere 4 days. Our last chance to see each other before I'm deep in the throngs of chemotherapy. Yay. Thankfully WestJet had a seat sale, otherwise it was a no go! 


I was quite upset, as when I arrived home, I hadn't felt well & my neck was HUGE. I had decided to cancel my trip to San Francisco to see Jaco & Ami & her family. I was very bummed about having to do this. I had also dashed any hopes of flying to the coast to see Jaco the following week. By the time I had spent enough time at home, resting & getting on track with me supplements, my neck had gone down a lot & softened up. However, my flight to California would have been, gulp, $1000!!! I was shattered. I managed to talk to Ami a few times & there is a glimmer of hope that I can still see her in September when she's back for her best friend's wedding. FINGERS CROSSED!!!


So, with Westjet on my side, I booked a record low flight to Vancouver & back from Victoria. I think it was $270 return. (!!!) Mom took me to the airport for 0745 & as luck would have it, my flight was delayed by an hour. I called Krystle & let her know not to dash off for the airport anytime soon! When I landed in Vancouver, OH MY GOSH!!!! I was so excited to see her! She is due with Baby Boy Brown in August & she has the most beautiful belly & is the most beautiful pregnant Mama I've ever seen! Krystle & Ross were colleagues from ships, but since we've left ships, our friendships have grown & I'm so grateful for them both! 


Krystle took me to a place where she gets her eyebrows threaded. I had previously heard of it, but never had it done. I'm VERY particular about my eyebrows & generally only go to the same girl at Merle Norman to have them waxed. When Krystle told me it was only $5 & I'd most likely be losing them during chemo, I thought, why not? It was so cool! It didn't hurt a bit & the lady was so fast! At first I didn't recognize myself - debushing accomplished - but the more & more I looked at them, I realized I finally had beautiful eyebrows! Yay! I'm hooked! Now I just need to find a place in Calgary!


Our next stop was her Mom's house. Krystle has the most wonderful mother. She is an amazing woman, with so many talents! She sewed ALL of the bridesmaid dresses for Krystle's wedding & each one was a different style. She's the kind of person you feel like you've known forever & you're completely comfortable being around them... We didn't stay at the house for long, as we were off to IHOP for lunch. We were meeting Krystle's sister, Mikita, & her niece, Camilah, there. Mikita is due two months after Krystle & she is also having a boy! They will be like brothers! I couldn't believe how much Camilah has grown! She has the cutest little smile & listening to her talk made me smile... Her high pitched little 'Hey!' Melt my heart!


We strolled through the mall close to Krystle & Ross' place & visited Krystle's aunt for a moment. We headed back to Margarita's house & we enjoyed a cup of tea & cookies, while having some chats about this & that. Before we knew it, it was 5 o'clock! Krystle & I headed to Metrotown for a little shopping - Krystle knows all of my weaknesses! But she also finds me the BEST deals! I found a necklace with an old family seal on it. It's a dagger with French writing around it. Translated it means, 'Courage without fear'. I figured that was definitive of my months to come. It will be the first necklace I will wear regularly in over 2 years! I can't wait to have a 'normal' neck again!


We headed home to their new condo. Ross came down & met us at the car. Oooooh! So excited to see the Proud Papa!!! Their new pad is gorgeous!!! I'm so excited for them! They showed me the baby's room, the BBQ patio, Krystle's ever-creative decorating touches, and WOW! The stunning canvas from their PERFECT wedding day! Krystle, again, creative, put together a beautiful wedding album of all their favourite moments from the day. She did an amazing job! I wish you could see a digital copy of it! You can check out her photography here: http://www.krystleimages.com 


We watched an episode of GLEE & the Big Bang Theory. I think I'm a closet nerd, because I really loved the Big Bang Theory! I laughed out loud! I was very impressed with Ross' setup. He had the TV connected to the computer so Krystle & I watched GLEE while he monitored his other downloads! Nice! Oh & we enjoyed a loaded baked potato during our feature presentation! :o)


Pretty soon it was bed time... They made the couch into the craziest sofa bed ever! I was so tired from a full day of adventure! It didn't take long before I was out for the count. 


Lekker slaap!
Maria & Valentina
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Light packing!

Eyebrow threading

What a gorgeous little girl!

She's a heart breaker!

Chillin' at the Pad!

Krystle's crazy talents!