Day 213 - Cowboys & Ice Cream Cake

Mmmm, I LOVE my new curtains! I picked up some plain white canvas curtains at Ikea the other day & they are perfect! They filter just enough light out to keep things dark... More sleep for me! Yay! Now, if only I could get to bed at a decent hour, I wouldn't have to worry about sleeping in the daylight hours! Nobody's perfect & I'm a bit like Garfield. I don't do mornings.


I woke up to a loud banging on the door... It was Dieter! And Jim! The are both cowboys from different continents. Dieter (Dee-tur) is from Germany, but has lived in North America for many years. Jim is from Australia & is here for a few months to work on a few ranches. Dieter used to keep his horses out at the ranch & that is how we met. On the exterior is this rough, tough cowboy who likes a good argument. If you're not in the right frame of mind, he'll catch you off guard. But under that tough exterior is a pussycat. He's got a big heart &  he always brightens my day when he stops in for a visit.


Jim was here a few years back & has returned for the summer. He is very quiet & soft spoken - quite the opposite of Dieter! He is a very kind man & quite generous too! He's coming out next week to help Mom build a bit of fence! Should prove interesting, I'm positive of that!


After the cowboys left, I started working on Mom's day planner for her. She has me do the menial, mindless parts, which take up too much time & allow her to do the creative bit. I don't mind. I need some experience in the program & it makes me feel useful! 


Today was Joe's birthday at EVIC & I had Mom pick him up an ice cream cake from DQ yesterday. We took it down shortly before the centre closed & lo & behold, the big boss was there too! Great! More to eat cake! Dave, one of the CO's & a very good friend of mine, also stopped by to grab a slice & wish Joe happy birthday. Dave barely got the last morsel in his mouth when he had to run out the door on a call! 


I walked the dogs home & went back to work on the day planner. I spoke with Ami's parents in California... Ami is super busy & I haven't had any luck tracking her down... Here's hoping tomorrow I will! Her parents are wonderful people & I only wish I could have made it there for a visit! One day! 


I chatted briefly with a few other friends & then, of course, Jaco phoned. We had a great chat tonight & guess who's going to see Michael Buble! Yup! What a guy! It will be a great date night for us! Last time he was here, we went to Keith Urban. I reckon it has just become a tradition! 


I spent the rest of the night trying to order my wigs. Argh. Only slightly frustrating. I have no idea what the actual colours will look like, but fingers crossed they will be fun! It's super late now, so I'm going to keep it short... 


Lekker slaap & big hugs!
Maria & Valentina
xxxxxx

Jim & Dieter - the Aussie & the German - I'm sure there's a joke about that... 

Happy 29th Birthday Joe!

Seriously at work

Mom enjoying her cake

Joe's birthday @ EVIC

Walking my wieners!

Crossing the road with 2 wieners

Finding the sunny spot

Day 206 - Unka Jer Visits

Today my Mom's brother, Jerry, visited. He has had a whirlwind of change in his life in the past year or so. He became a Yoga Instructor, sold his home in Saskatoon, traveled across Canada last summer, moved to Golden & recently started up his own business... Driftwood Carriage Ride, Co.. I'm excited for him! It's awesome to see someone follow their dreams & have the perseverance & happiness that he does along the way. 


Unka Jer, as he has revamped 'Uncle Jerry', had arrived late last night & this morning, Mom made us breakfast. Fresh Toast a la Kim style. She used coconut milk along with a splash of almond milk & vanilla, dipped the french toast (sprouted grain bread) in shredded coconut before she fried it & then put fresh pineapple, mango & strawberry on top with a hint of mint. Yummy! (don't forget the maple syrup on top!)


Uncle Jerry has a marvellous sense of humour & it doesn't take long to get things rolling. He had a lot to do in the city (sorry, my dog is TOTALLY snoring as I type this), so Mom went along to visit & keep him company. I stayed home & enjoyed the GLORIOUS sunshine we had today. 


Valentina was at home with me, so I pulled the lounger around the sunny side of the house, took out a good book & settled in for some vitamin D. I could hear the phone ringing inside the house, but luckily I had taken the cordless outside with me. Hello? Hello? Why don't I hear anything? Argh! Mom changed phones & I had brought out the old one that was plugged into my room! I could hear the caller phoning again, but there was no way I could do the 50 yard dash & still get to the new phone. I walked inside & sure enough, it was Jaco. Seeing as I can't call him back, I was pretty bummed when he didn't call again. :o( I wandered back outside for a bit more sunshine & reading before it cooled off too much.


Yes, it was a quiet day, but I am grateful for it! I am enjoying every minute to rest & recuperate. No stress, plenty of rest & catching up on the blog! 


Sleep well!
Maria & Valentina
xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Tropical French Toast

Scrumptious!

Unka Jer & his 'iBag'

Tweet Pea like vitamin D too!

Tweet Pea catching up on her rest too!

Day 146 - Boxes of Stuff

Okay, so perhaps I haven't made the MOST out of my time to myself in the house, but I have certainly made the most out of uninterrupted phone calls! :o) I used the chi machine more than I have in a long time, did some yoga & faithfully used the treadmill! I'm certainly no fit chick, but there's an inkling of effort there! 


Today I was just getting involved in my research when the phone rang. It was the Cancer Centre. I had asked them to call me & tell me if they ACTUALLY HAD RESULTS so I wouldn't sit there for another 2 hours & then be told nothing & have a lovely parking tab! I certainly wasn't expecting what I heard next.


'Hi Jill, it's (the Nurse) from (the Oncologist's) office. I had a message to call you & let you know the results. It's Nodular Sclerosing Hodgkin's Lymphoma. So pretty much exactly what we were thinking all along. Are you coming for your blood work tomorrow & appointment?'


Well, wasn't that just lovely! Certainly not what I had expected. I mean everyone wishes they would receive the call to tell them they've just won some big sweepstakes & they can chase their dreams. Never did I expect to hear the words 'Cancer' pop out just like that!


So, after I hung up & sat there stunned for awhile, I slowly began to process. Okay. Not such a big deal. I mean, before I answered the phone, whatever was in my neck & co. was the EXACT same thing as it was after I hung up the phone. Now, it's just got a prettier name than FRANK. :o) 


I told about 2 people that day. I really didn't want to let 'Fear' rear it's ugly head in the hearts & minds of the friends & family out there, so I just kept it hush-hush. I also didn't need the drama of 'What are you going to do now?!?' I wanted to enjoy the remainder of my time in the house alone. 


I decided to finally haul some stuff back to the bunk house & get it out of my sight. I also pilfered through some more boxes & it felt good to clean out some stuff. I love my 'stuff', but sometimes, too much 'stuff' calls for a little purging. It was a beautiful day & Valentina enjoyed sniffing around the bunkhouse.


I came back & began cleaning up the house. Mom wasn't sure if she would be back tonight or tomorrow morning, so I thought I better do a little tidying. Good thing! I'd just vacuumed up the wicker basket disaster & she drove in the yard! Yeah, I left if for awhile. It was only Valentina & me, what's the big deal?


So, tomorrow I would meet with the other Oncologist & see what was really going on. Give me strength to handle the words they say & keep my clear thinking mind about me!


Love & healing hugs,
Maria & Valentina
xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

This could be my all time favourite photo!

Like she smoked in a previous life or something!

Friends

Yes?

Day 145 - On The Phone Again...

Okay, so this will be a short post...


Today was a complete write off. I spent the entire day on the phone or on the computer. If I wasn't researching alternative treatments & supplements, I was on the phone with someone who needed catching up with.


Of course, there was my escapade with Sears. I wanted to track down a particular Oster blender that I had found on the Sears website. I phoned Chinook Sears. Five times. They disconnected me, hung up on me, didn't answer, put me through to the newest Sears employee who didn't know a thing & then finally told me they didn't have any & had no clue how to find one. Thanks for showing up for WORK today. 


I called Southcentre Sears. They were a lot more useful! They didn't have any in stock, but were able to tell me that Marlborough Sears did & also provided the stock # for next time. I phoned Marlborough & they were slightly more helpful than Chinook Sears, but at least they put a blender on hold for me. 


I skyped with a friend from Ottawa - Kim Ing Photography - and ran the boudoir idea past her. We chatted about life after ships & our travel plans/dreams. 


I talked to Jaco while I walked my 1/2 hour on the treadmill. Yes, I can multi-task from time to time! :o)


All in all, I didn't do a whole lot, but managed to get a lot done! Does that make sense? Anyhow, here's to a better day tomorrow!


Love & hugs,
Maria & Valentina
xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Bedtime Buddy #1 - Adios

Bedtime Buddy #2 - Valentina