Day 558 - Oh Happy Day!

A rather frustrating day for Jaco & I. His passport still isn't back & he still needs to apply for a Shengen visa. The dreams of Norway are getting a little gritty. Grr... I'm frustrated at the slack SA procedures! 


But... On a high note (pun intended!) we scored tickets to Roxette! Yay! I'm a huge fan & although I'm sure it would've been sweet to see them in their heyday, I'll take what I can get! So, Jaco, Carmen, Charlene & Charlene's other half are joining me for a fabulous night out! I can hardly wait! I'm going to be singing out loud for the next 6 months! Yippee! 





The tickets were hard to get, by the way. All three Cape Town shows were sold out & I basically stalked Gumtree (SA's version of Kijiji) all day to score tickets. I had to buy 5 to get two, but it's working out well! Ha!


And the other high point of the day... very high! I had to stay up until 0200 to get it, but I finally got to see the dogs! Mom picked them up today & took her laptop with her so we could Skype. Oooh! I miss Tweet Pea & Oceana! They look just darling! I miss them so much! It made my day to see their little faces! And Valentina still recognized my voice! All is not lost!


That's it for today... Oh & I made raw tabbouleh & stuffed avocados. Day 3 of detox. 10% down the hatch!


xxxxMama Maria

Day 398 - No Lines & Movie Night!

Today was the big day! I was actually going to leave the house & go further than Bragg Creek! Mom & I were off to prayers for the evening. I was quite excited, as we were watching Finger of God - an amazing documentary about miracle healings that happen all over the globe. It's a pretty unorthodox film for Christians & non-Christians alike. It certainly tests the boundaries for what you believe & find believable. To my delight, everyone loved it! We are watching Furious Love next week & I can't wait to hear the reactions!

I also went to the passport office. To my delight, there were only 2 other people in the building & they were already being helped! No line up! Awesome! Everything went smoothly & I will have my new 48 page passport in a week or so. I requested 48 instead of 24 to avoid this situation in the future. I'm pretty excited to travel as a Mrs. now!

My days & nights are still completely upside down & backwards. I am beginning to wonder if they will ever straighten out. At least I can chat with my husband on Skype when he wakes up! I'm still up from the previous day! It always amazes me that it's daytime somewhere else in the world when it's night time here. Everyone is off in their own little world, living the life they know...

I wore the same wig to the passport office today so I would look the same as my photo. We stopped at a bookstore after the passport office & I inquired about the Finger of God DVD. As I was leaving the shop, the lady said, 'Can I ask you a question?' 'Sure!' 'Where do you get your hair done? I LOVE the colour.' Ha ha ha. I laughed hard. I said, 'Wowwigs.com' It made my day. I'm going to have a hard time doing my real hair when it grows back. I have a feeling wigs could certainly become part of my permanent personality!

The roads were still a bit icy, so I'm not brave enough to drive quite yet. Another day or so of nice weather & I should be good to go. Hopefully! Stay safe & stay warm!

xxxxMV&O

Meet Gigi

Day 397 - Redhead Photos

Today I went to town & had my passport photo retaken. My passport has no blank pages on it & it doesn't expire for another 2 years. Sigh. I wanted to use my previous photos, as Peter & Gail always do a great job. It's more like a glamour shoot than a mug shot! Unfortunately the Government require passport photos to be current within 6 months. Hmm... Bald passport photos? I don't think so! I won't post the photo just yet, but I think it's pretty good. I'll be anxious to see the look on the immigration officer's face when he compares the real thing to the photo!

I hadn't worn this particular wig out in public until today. I previously thought it was a bit much, and perhaps it was for a passport photo, but oh well. It is fun & I get a kick out of looking completely different from day to day or at least time to time!

Mom had errands in Cochrane & the city, so she dropped me off at home & I took the afternoon to putz around with my stamping tools. I hadn't attempted much until today. I am learning a lot! I put a placemat under the anvil, as I didn't want to wreck Mom's table. As I stamped away, some of the stamps really jumped around, giving a poor impression. I thought to myself, 'Hmpf. These are crappy stamps! I won't order any more of them!' I went on the website to check out what was available in the other, 'superior' kind & I read the find print on the 'crappy stamps'. It said: Do NOT put anything under the anvil when using these stamps. Enough said. My stamping looks pretty crude right now, but it was a lot of fun. If you have any inspirational quotes or sayings that are short-ish, email me & I'll try to stamp them. I thought I had a lot of words in my head, but while I was stamping, my brain went blank.

On a completely unrelated note, have you checked out these BBC animals videos?  I think they are particularly hilarious! There are several - be sure to watch them all!

Have a great night!
xxxxMV&O

Meet Macy

Day 396 - Passoporto

Thank goodness it has warmed up today & we are no longer the 2nd coldest place on Earth. There was actually some sunshine today! Vitamin D! Yay! The girls didn't even mind going outside to do their 'business'. 

I'm frantically trying to organize all of my passport papers for tomorrow. I am applying for a name change, to my married name, so I need to submit a new application, not just a renewal. Here's hoping the lines aren't too long tomorrow! I need to get crackin' on it, as I don't want to be left at the last minute frantically trying to get it done when the Doctors have given me the green light to head for the skies & seas! Hooray! I can smell the jet fuel & taste the salty sea air! BRING IT ON!!!! Three rounds to go & the biggest hurdle of life is finally over with!

Tomorrow is Opt-Out day in the States. I'm anxious to know how it will go. I'm feeling very passionate about the backscatter machines & the aggressive pat downs. I am hoping the Americans will make an impact on the TSA. 

I'm going to post all of the wig photos at the end & have a little vote to see which ones make the cut as Top Three... I hope you'll cast a vote & have a say as to whether or not I look completely ridiculous or totally fashionable! :oP

xxxxMV&O

Meet Jennifer

Day 395 - Antarctica 1st, Calgary 2nd

Apparently today found Antarctica the coldest place on Earth. Calgary was second. Something is terribly wrong with this picture. I shouldn't be here! Not that I should be in Antarctica either, but at least they have cute penguins!

I need to get all of my papers in order for a new passport application. That means, finding a guarantor, having new photos done, certifying copies of my Driver's License, Marriage Certificate, previous employer addresses, emergency contacts... The list is overwhelming! But it has to be done if I'm going to spend anytime with my husband next year! Hooray! Sunshine, sand & HEAT is in my future!!! Certainly not today, but in the future!

Otherwise, another quiet day on the home front. The girls DEFINITELY didn't want to go outside for their business today! And who can blame them!

xxxxMV&O

Meet Gisele