Day 533 - I Love My Birthday On Facebook!

This morning I actually did yoga! It was great! I laid the mat out on the tile floor in the sunshine & away I went. It was great to soak up the vitamin D & focus on some flexibility & breathing.

The weather is glorious & I am determined to enjoy it to the fullest. I sat outside & read through the copy of Cesar’s Way Jaco bought in the Barbados Airport.

The rest of the afternoon I tidied up the room & put things away. In the evening, I attacked the MagicJack. It never worked from the time I sent it over with Jaco to give to his Mom so she could call us in Canada. We tried to figure it out over Skype when I was in Canada & he was here, but we had no luck. So tonight, I tackled the MagicJack.

It took a good 2+ hours, but I finally have it working. Of course, if it wasn’t for the live chat support, I would have never figured it out! The computer settings were registering an older version of Windows than what it actually had, so the MagicJack didn’t think it was compatible. That & a few other ‘minor’ things had to be fixed. Happy to say, it’s now working!

I was just headed to bed, Jaco was already asleep, and I thought I would check my emails before I joined him. When I opened up my laptop, there was Sylvia! On Skype! Yay! She phoned me & we were able to do a video chat. I was able to see brand new baby Colton! Of course, big brother Drayton was there too! It was great! What a perfect end to the day!

Oh yes, the title of the post! I was delighted to see over 90 birthday wishes on Facebook & a few emails today! Wow! I felt so special! Some of the people are ‘acquaintances’ on Facebook, but nonetheless, it was meaningful that they took a few moments out of their day to wish me a happy birthday! Thanks! I spent a while responding to the greetings… It really made my day!

xxxxMaria

Day 460 - Fast Day

Now, I've fasted before. In fact, I've done a whopping 42 days of fruit juice only. Fresh pressed grape juice & lemon juice. One day shouldn't be so bad, now should it? Or should it?

We don't eat breakfast at Hippocrates (unless you're instructed to have a cold grain cereal). We only drink green juice at 0900. Then at 1100 we have another green drink. Then usually lunch will start at 1230. But today we had fresh coconut water. It was DELICIOUS! The fellow that served them had picked them from around the grounds & chopped the tops off with a machete. They were as fresh as could be! I also found out that the ones you buy in the shops have been dipped in formaldehyde. Boo.

Our next dose of juice was at 1400, then again at 1600. Finally at 1800 we have a delicious green soup. Pretty much it's a thick, savoury smoothie. It was actually really good! It looked terrible, but it was wonderful!

I spend the evenings on the laptop waiting for Jaco to call me on the MagicJack. So far, the connections have been terrible. We can't Skype, as he's on the ship, so MagicJack it is. The connection at the Hall is really poor. I'm hoping that it will improve. Tonight I sat outside & watched the fountain, listened to the quiet palm trees rustle in the breeze... It's beautiful!

I can't believe the first week is half over already! I can tell the time is going to fly by. I'm enjoying meeting people from all over - a lot of Canadians! - who all have a common goal - improving their health. 

Off to the sauna...

xxxx Maria

Kingston & Easton enjoy fresh coconut water

The water fountain at night.

Day 282 - Rain & Skeeters

Well, day one of a routine went 50/50. I didn't get up when I scheduled myself to & I certainly didn't stick to the time restrictions of the allotted spaces for events. Good thing I get another new day to try again! I did discover that I can neatly print my 'day' in iCal. I do love my Mac!


The larger part of the day was spent talking with my husband. Well, rather, trying. His laptop doesn't seem to want to work with the MagicJack. He could speak through his phone on Skype, which I couldn't! If I could figure that out, then I'd be fine! I tried to troubleshoot his MagicJack, but it was a challenge, as I couldn't talk to him at the same time. His headset requires the USB port & so does the MagicJack. He could hear me, but I couldn't hear him. Additionally, he types, er, rather slow. My patience is, er, rather underdeveloped, so you can just imagine! 


Finally, I realized that I could set my Skype to work with my MagicJack & talk on the cordless phone! Whoo hoo! So, I'm calling & I'm calling & he's not answering! I finally call on the home phone (for $0.80/min!) & his Mom says he just walked outside! 20 minutes later, he returns!


I'm happy that the phone works through Skype, but that's not why we bought it! I have given him instructions to take his laptop, phone & MagicJack to the local internet cafe (3 blocks away) & try to get it working there. If he can get it working there, hopefully it will work at home & at least he'll know how to use it! Then he can leave it at home & his Mom & Dad can call anytime they want! 


I trained the dogs a little bit. It's been ages since I tried to teach Valentina anything new. She's so clever! Or maybe just food motivated! We tried 'touch', 'stare', & 'settle down'. She had them all figured out so we'll see how today's lesson goes. 


Oceana, on the other hand, will need a lot of TLC. I started with Valentina's lesson in my room, with Oceana locked out. I reversed their locations when it was Ocean's turn. Before I'd even asked her for the first command, she'd piddled 3x in my room. Right. We'll go to the kitchen I think! She did quite well. She's so submissive, it's difficult to get her to do anything. Either that or she's really lazy! In any case, we also worked on touch, stare & gimme 5 & roll over. Stare is a challenge for me because her eyes are so dark I can't tell if she's actually looking at me! I have to stare at her! Gimme 5 was pretty much nudging her paw until she just held it in the air & looked at me as if to say, 'Are you kidding me?' Roll over went well, but not without a lot of coaxing to get her all the way around. Stay tuned for more Wiener Escapades! 


****UPDATE****
Apparently Mom has decided to keep her. I didn't dare ask her how many times she changes her socks, as I'm sure she'd be on the phone trying to find a home for Oceana. I told her we're going to sign a contract & she can NEVER give away the dog. When Jaco & I have a place, Oceana will join her sister. (Hence why I'm starting the training process!) So, for now, Oceana is safe & sound! Amen to that!


I've been reading through the manual for my camera. I realized that I didn't know a whole lot about it. It's 200 pages long! The other day Mom asked me if I'd meant to throw out the manual for my other camera (a point & shoot). I said yes. Mom asked me, 'Well, what if you sell it? Don't you think they'll want it?' I said, 'If they can't figure out the camera, maybe they shouldn't have bought it.' Does that make me a hypocrite? :o) Oopsie!


Lastly, I'm going to share with you my dream from last night. I had difficulties sleeping. I was in bed by 2330 (early for me!) & woke up when Mom got home (0130). I was really restless & super hot. When I finally fell back asleep, I dreamt about Brad & Angelina! They came for supper in a little orange car. It was a European design & a vintage model. (I wish I had a photo of it!) Mom was making dinner (of course) & she was also making meals to freeze & eat later. She asked me to stir them, but she'd filled the containers WAY TOO FULL! I was spilling everywhere. Brangelina were sitting at this little table chatting away. Mom decided she was going to pass out. I told her to sit down & put her head between her legs. She ignored me. Although she didn't pass out, she disappeared from the kitchen. Maybe she went & laid down? Anyhow, with Brad & Angelina to myself, I started asking Angelina questions about her humanitarian work with the UN. We just got into it when something came up & they had to leave. 


I walked with them to their car & when we got to the parking lot, there were about 20 other people there, all staff. Bodyguards, drivers, stylists, you name it! I said I wanted a photo of them & myself, so we ran to get a camera. I don't know whose it was, but it didn't have a memory card. It was a long-ish walk to the house, so Angelina offered to drive me down to the parking lot & I could get the camera out of my purse. I hopped in the orange car on the opposite side (Right side drive) & when I got in the car started to take off. It had dual controls! I stared at Angelina as she was on the outside of the car. She didn't seem concerned, but I was when I pumped the brakes & they didn't work! There were little kids playing in the street! I sailed through a light that thankfully turned green at the last minute, only realizing that I should have turned there! Now I was lost in the outskirts of Red Deer. Yes, Red Deer. I ended up in the next town of Mykonos. Yes, Mykonos, Greece. (I really, REALLY wish I was in the Med) There were beautiful white buildings, winding, narrow streets & beautiful blue green ocean. I managed to find out how to work the brakes & when I stopped to ask for help to get back to my 'street', 4 Scottish couple crawled into the car. They knew the model of car & were very excited to see such one in mint condition! They also knew how to drive it, so I could relax! 


While I was 'relaxing', my cell phone rang. Apparently I was supposed to be doing a photo shoot in Calgary for a friend. I told her I was lost in Red Deer & it was storming (big black clouds were coming when I looked out the window). She was livid. She hollered & then hung up on me. Whoops. When we finally made it back to the Brangelina parking lot, they were gone! )o; No souvenir photo for me. I doubt they'll ever come for dinner again, seeing as I ran away with their car! And they have busy schedules too, I suppose! Anyhow, their Agent was still there waiting for me & he wasn't too happy either. At least the Scots were happy! 


Oh! One last thing... I was shown this little clip & I have to share it with you... It is one of the best things I've heard in a really long time... Possibly ever. I hope you'll laugh as hard as I did... Enjoy!


Oh & btw, it rained today & the mozzies are HORRIBLE!!! You go outside & instantly you have about 20 mosquitos on you! So, I didn't go out at all!


Have a blessed day!
Maria, Valentina & Oceana
xxxxxx

The lilies in the kitchen nicely backlit.

Saskatchewan's Provincial Flower

Day 281 - Nothin' Like A Good Ol' Thunderstorm!

Another relatively uneventful day... Wake up, check messages, have breakfast, sit outside & read for a bit... Not too enthralling.

I had been up late last night helping Mom rescue one of her hard drives & this morning I took it to her first thing. She seemed quite ungrateful that I'd helped her out - not sure where her head space was at. But then later, all was revealed. She wants to give away Oceana. 

Yeah, I'm pretty much devastated. She hasn't even had her for 3 months & she's already trying to pawn her off. Worst of all on some fellow from her past that treated her like junk... What's he going to do to the dog??? Over my dead body will she give poor Oceana to him!

So, now it looks like I've got 2 dogs. I haven't done any training with Oceana because she's Mom's dog & I didn't want to interfere. I dug out my 51 Puppy Tricks book & the training will commence tomorrow. I get so frustrated with my Mother sometimes. I feel like she tries to 'fix' an area of her life, but gets confused at which one is the most important! The saddest part of all is poor Oceana! She is very submissive & has latched onto Mom like no dog I've ever seen. Mom can't go anywhere without Oceana hot on her heels. 

I'll start taking a list of anyone who wants to dog sit while I'm visiting Jaco this winter! :o) 

I joked with a friend of mine today that I'm sure Mom would have pawned my brother & I off had she been given the chance... Now that I think of it, I do have that one girlfriend who looks A LOT like Mom & she's a few years older... Hmm...

Needless to say, I wanted out of the house, so I put the girls' matching raincoats on & went down to EVIC. The thunder started to roll half way there & we arrived just in time for it to start pouring. We sat inside & observed the flashes while Joe counted the time between lightning & thunder. Some of them were pretty close!

I waited awhile before I walked back home in the rain. The girls didn't really like their raincoats. At one point, I felt like I was dragging both of them, instead of them walking on their own. I turned around & sure enough, I was dragging them! Their hoods had fallen down over their eyes & they couldn't see a thing! All I could see was a red or pink coat with a little black nose poking out the front end & a tail out the back! 

They were both caked in mud & dirt by the time we arrived home, so I carried them straight to the tub. A quick rinse & towel dry & they were good as new. They had a blast ripping around the house playing & drying off. One excited wiener dog is fun, never mind two of them!

I decided to bake something this evening. I found a recipe for banana bread in my Caribbean cookbook (Thanks Winners!) that sounded good. Of course, I don't use the regular ingredients & well, I think I'll have to bake it a few times to perfect it. I used raw sugar instead of light brown sugar, coconut flour instead of self-rising flour, almond milk instead of milk... The flour made things pretty dry. I added more milk & an extra egg. Additionally, it said to grease the tin, so I put olive oil on it. Then added the parchment paper. I'm not sure how it happened, but the bottom of the bread is oily & there was a bunch of water & oil in the bottom of the tin. Let's just say it's edible, but heavy. Next time, I'll cut out some flour & perhaps use butter instead of olive oil?

Seriously, someone needs to invent Culinary Bootcamp for people like me. I could be a Fruigivore like my husband. He'll eat oranges, I'll eat cherries & berries. Lord help us come winter! :o)

In any case, I decided to make myself a routine last night. It works for kids & dogs, so why not me? As I type this entry, I'm about 2 hours behind schedule, but I'll see what I can do to catch up! :o) Part of my schedule includes meal planning for the following day. I liked the look of a lot of the recipes in the Caribbean cookbook, so I'll see what I can find that's yummy! (& healthy!)

I finally hooked up my Magic Jack, after giving my husband grief about not having his set up! :o) I'm pretty excited about it! If you leave me a message, it emails me the message & I can listen to it in my email program! How cool is that? I love Magic Jack! (Did I mention you pay $20/yr for long distance anywhere in Canada & the USA?) And you can take it anywhere in the world & call Canada/USA for that same $20/yr??? What a great invention! **It costs $40 for the Jack, $20/yr or $70 for 5 yrs, plus $10 for a Canadian number** See website for details. Okay, my infomercial is done! :o)

I caught up with a girlfriend from Saskatchewan last night. I haven't spoken to her in awhile & it was great to hear her voice. She has two adorable boys, Buster & Huxley. She has caught a lot of flack for naming her first son, Buster. Agreed, it's not a common name, but it TOTALLY suits him! Last night we Wikipedia'd 'Buster' & there are a lot of famous 'Buster's' out there. Even I was impressed! One from South Africa & one from the UK who was involved in the early developments in IVF! Crazy! I hope her mind is at ease, knowing her son has a unique & meaningful name.

Our conversation was cut short when the lightning returned & every flash I saw made a click on the phone! Okay! Time to go! I fell asleep to the sound of the rain hammering down outside my window.

Have a great Sunday everyone! xxxx

Maria, Valentina & Oceana

Matching jackets for the sisters.

Please, Mama, play with me?

Tangled up!

I've got it!

Tug o' war!

Day 246 - Contemplate Is Contemplatin' Quittin'

Hmm, today was a day that perhaps needed a little refreshing before I should have woke up to it. I can't seem to sleep much past 0630 & when I go to bed late, that doesn't set me up very well. Add the sun, the dogs & Mom stomping around, it's a bit of a gong show. Perhaps I'll invest in one of those 'noise' or sleep machines. 


When I did make it out of bed, I made a few phone calls - my first of the week & it's Friday! Mom & I had a nice banter about space & control issues and then I got ready to head out. I had to hit the post office, the insurance agency & then off to Cochrane to have the other 2 tires replaced. 


That would have worked fabulous if only the car would start. Mom boosted me twice before I left home. The gal at the insurance agency boosted me again. I left it running while I was at the post office & then realized that I needed fuel! So, I headed over to the Husky & put some fuel in. The gas jockey pushed the car forward & boosted me. Again. Oh dear. 


I drove to Cochrane without any major issues, but when I arrived, they only had 1 of the 2 tires I needed! Argh! Looks like I'll be back tomorrow! Luckily the car started fine after this. I headed over to the Burnett's for a visit - if they were home! Jenn & the kids were home, so I enjoyed an afternoon visit. Valentina & Harrison played, while Heidi smiled & cooed. It was a great afternoon! 


I also managed to set up the Magic Jack's, so I'll just need to send one to South Africa with Jaco & we'll be all set to visit for next to nothing!! 


I motored home about 1900 & spent the evening trying to find my desk. Ugh. What a mess! I hole punched all my medical papers & other bits & pieces lying around, so it will be out of the way & (somewhat) organized! I tried a few friends on the phone, but clearly the summer weather has everyone outside enjoying it! 


Valentina was not herself today. I'm not sure if it's this pseudo-pregnancy or what, but she is acting quite bizarre. She just mopes around & sleeps a lot. She snooped around my room, which she doesn't normally do. I hope it passes soon, as I miss my happy-go-lucky pooch!


Anyhow, that's the best of today... Enjoy your weekend! xxxx Maria & Valentina

She's really not herself when she's sleeping on the back seat!

Poor Tweet Pea... Not lovin' it!