Day 199 - Mother's Day... Awhhhhh!

We're not talking a lot of sleep here folks. My mother decided to pull an all-nighter yesterday. Her favourite Uncle sadly passed away & she didn't want to miss the funeral. This meant driving to central Saskatchewan & back in the same day. Yup. 1100+kms. She arrived home at 0430, expecting to leave for Wainwright at 0900. 

I didn't want to wake her, as I knew what a full day & night's drive is like & what you feel like after it's finally over with. But, come 1230, I figured I better wake her up if we were going to go at all. 

In true Mom fashion, she freaked out at the time & quickly got ready. I, on the other hand, was not so speedy. Hey, I was up half the night worrying about her! We left at nearly 1500, just as the snow began to fall. We had hail, rain, sun & snow within the first 20 minutes of driving. She wanted to turn around & go another time, I insisted we go. 

Where were we going? What's so special about Wainwright? Isn't today Mother's Day? Precisely! We were going to get a sister for Valentina! This one would be Mom's dog! Double the trouble, double the fun! 

Roxie, the lady I bought Valentina from, has had severe health issues for the past while & didn't have the energy to get rid of the pups, which were a whoopsie in any case. She had a female pup that she wanted to give to Mom awhile back, but Mom wasn't sure. Apparently she knew how bad I wanted her to have the pup, so she said yes. She decided to surprise me & tell me the news when I arrived home.

I was excited to meet the little pooch! She was going to be a lot of work, as she is nearly 6 months old & hasn't had any obedience training. Adding to the fact that she would soon be leaving her 'nest' & joining a home with a new dog, a giant cat & 2 women! She was in for a real culture shock! 

Thankfully the weather improved shortly after we left. The clouds were threatening, but we drove out of anything wet! The #2 hwy was a zoo! It was packed! I was happy to pull off at Wetaskiwin & head east. The traffic was much gentler - to say the least! 

Previously Mom had chosen Annie as a name for the dog. I talked to hear about it & we decided that Annie wasn't such a suitable name. Her niece had a dog by the same name, as does my friend, Roxy, who visits often. I could see the ensuing confusion. So we discussed name after name after name. I went through the Spanish & Italian words on my iTouch. Sadly they were mostly words for eating out & shopping, so that didn't help much! I forgot the Afrikaans dictionary at home, but even if I had brought it with, I wouldn't have known how to pronounce it in any case! We scanned the Atlas on the iPod... nothing. Finally I said, 'How about Ocean?' Mom said, in an unconvincing, 'Yeah'. Then I thought of a ship I once knew, 'How about Oceana?' Then Mom has her 'Anna' namesake & it's a funky name to boot! 'Yeah!' Mom liked it! 

Okay. Done! Oceana it is. We were about 3 kms out of Wainwright at this point! Uh-oh! She needs a middle name! Quick! Come up with something! Well, it's May, Mother's Day, how about 'Oceana May'? I can hear your eyes rolling... But it suits her! Just put on your best southern drawl & you've got the name down pat! :o)

We didn't get to Roxie's until 2000. Cohby answered the door & I could hear heaps of barking going on. Their GIANT Retriever, Lucky, was barking away. Cohby put Lucky into his kennel, but Lucky's head was sticking out the top! As Lucky barked away, I thought I'll just take Valentina over & he can meet her. I've never seen a Retriever tap dance! His feet were going a million miles a minute, clicking away on the kennel floor - it was priceless! Cohby then decided to put Lucky outside, but that was no small task! Lucky pretty much dragged Cohby out the door! He is a big dog! I think both Mom & I couldn't have handled him as well as Cohby did! Well done!

And then there was Oceana. Roxie brought her out & she wanted nothing to do with us. She played with Valentina & ran to Cohby & Roxie, but not Mom, nor I. We were there for an hour or so, visiting & just spending time with Oceana. Pretty soon it was time to go, so Mom scooped up Oceana & she clung to Mom like she'd known her all her life. And that was it. They were bonded!

I'm pretty sure Cohby was sad to see the puppy go, as I don't think the mother is having any more, but I told him to be sure & visit this summer. The dogs will be waiting for him! I'll be waiting for him & Roxie! :o) I know they'll remember him!

We stopped at Boston Pizza for a quick take away bite & then it was back on the road again. Traffic was much lighter this hour of the day & we took a new trail across the north end of Calgary - Stony Trail. It was super quick & easy to get from North Deerfoot to Hwy #1. Perfect! We got home about 0300. I was beat. A headache was settling in as we arrived home, so here's hoping it's gone tomorrow... I'm about done with headaches!

Sleep well! Valentina is snoring as I type! xxxx

Maria, Valentina, Nonna & Introducing... Oceana May

Good afternoon, this is your 1230 wake up...

Okay, I'm actually speechless at what to write for this one. Insert what you will...

Roxie, Cohby, Valentina & Oceana. She's much friendlier than she looks in this photo! :o) Valentina still has her pretty face!

Day 148 - Music & Mangoes

Well, today was a great day! I woke up to a ground covered in a fluffy white blanket. It wasn't meant to stay long though, as the clear blue sky above let the sun work its magic! 


I woke up earlier than I would have preferred, but decided I might as well stay up & break the late night cycle I seem to have going as of late. (I'm not doing very well, as I'm typing this & it's late again!) 


I hadn't been up for very long when the phone rang & it was Jaco. I love the fact that I can speak to him on such a regular basis! We spoke for quite some time about results, options, scans... Ha! Talk about miscommunication! The poor fellow! When I told him my scan results at the beginning of February, he understood me to have said, 'It's everywhere'. I have no idea how that came about because it hasn't spread anywhere else & if it has grown at all, it is not very much! So here he's been thinking for the past 2 months that I'm pretty much a goner! Oh dear! Thank goodness we cleared that up right now!


We still haven't decided 100% on our plan of action. I'm having a really tough time making a choice. I've always been a tad indecisive - why do you think I have 15+ pairs of Italian boots & a closet filled with so much colourful Lululemon that even Rainbow Brite would be envious!!! I can't choose! I can't even pick one flavour of ice cream! I always have 2 flavours! I hope this ends soon! 


I spoke with a few Doctor's & their offices today, a few girlfriends & then did some yoga. I guess I was still a little tired, as I completely conked out in corpse pose! Valentina was asleep on my legs too!


I had planned on heading to Lethbridge today to see Collet, but when I woke up to snow, I changed my mind! Then I thought I could go to Banff to see Janis, but what fun is a day in Banff by myself while she's a little Snow Bunny? And then there was the live music in the city by Jessica & her hubby. I called Janis & we're meeting for lunch tomorrow. I left late for the Regal Beagle where Jessica was playing. 


I have to say, I haven't been to a bar in a VERY long time! I felt a little awkward walking in alone. Obviously I'm not drinking & they didn't have any bottled water or tea for me. So, like a bump on a log or a wart on a frog, I sat there. Pretty soon I worked up the nerve to go & visit a girl I'd taken the Yuen classes with. We chit chatted for a bit & then I sat down with a girl having a delicious looking beef dip. I sat there for the rest of the night! She was a riot! Bronwyn was her name - you know with a name like that, she's bound to be a blast! We covered a broad spectrum of topics (she likes travel - I'm good for a week - & meeting her made the trip worth it! Of course, Jessica's singing was amazing! Did you even have to ask??? She was her usual hilarious self! 


Much to my surprise, Friends of Otis were there as well! Their lead singer, Calvin, knows Jessica quite well. I know Calvin through Corre (Edmonton, hot yoga, Culina). Calvin & Corre were roommates when Corre was in University. Corre took me to Calvin's first CD launch a few years back. What can I say? It's a small world! Check out their website: http://friendsofotis.com/ & you can even get their music off of iTunes! Kick Back is their album & they're awesome!


A tummy ache had me leave earlier than I planned, but I was glad to get home. A hot cup of tea & a bit of mango. The mangoes I bought at Costco have ripened up beautifully! It's like I went to Peru & picked it myself! Dee-lish! 


On a side note - Valentina may be getting a sister!!!! Mom said she'll miss Valentina terribly when I take her away to travel. I suggested she call Roxie & talk to her about her pups! Mom said she'd get one, but only if I trained it! Ha! She already picked out a name - Anastasia - Annie for short. Mom's middle name is Anne & Anastasia is a Russian based series of books Mom is currently reading & loving. I told Mom she'll have to train her in Russian! Maybe not. It took 10 minutes to 'master' the words 'no' & 'thank you'. So maybe we'll just stick with English.


Okay, that's enough blog for tonight. Sweet dreams!
Maria & Valentina
xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

A Little Less Jaded at the Regal Beagle

Jessica & Ty - Doin' what they do best! Well, one of the things they do best!