Day 532 - Third Birthday In Africa

Today was my birthday. The third one to be spent in Africa. Crazy! Last year I was mauled by lion cubs. This year I was getting over jet lag. Suddenly getting mauled by lions sounds pretty good! Ha ha. 


We slept late. Really late. I think I only woke up after 1 or 2 in the afternoon. I was getting ready for what was left of the day when Petro came & asked if I wanted to come & say goodbye to Gustav, Crystal & Zandrie, as they were leaving for home. So much for the visit! I guess we'll have to make another visit soon!


After they were gone, Jaco & I went to the grocery store to pick up some food. We checked out the new Checkers. The Hermanus Train Station is now a 'shopping mall'. There are about 6 shops & a grocery store. Technically Hermanus has never had a train come through town, but I guess they wanted a train station because... Well, who knows? In any case, it was nice to observe what was new & different in town. We also drove to the beach as the sun set & watched the waves for a while. I love the smell of the ocean & the sound of the waves. It's rejuvenating!


Once we were back at the house, Petro made dinner for us & I warmed up the Malva Pudding. Petro is a great chef & talented baker, so I'm sure my store bought Malva Pudding didn't win any awards, but in any case, I put it in the oven to warm it up. 


Now, ovens are in Celsius over here. I've only baked in Fahrenheit, the few times I have actually baked. I couldn't tell what was bake, broil or otherwise, as the symbols looked nothing like the ones we have at home. I put it on a random symbol & waited patiently. Petro had slipped out for something, so I couldn't ask her & Jaco certainly didn't know. A few minutes later, I open the door to check the pudding & there is a cloud of smoke coming out & filling the kitchen, choking the oxygen out of the room. And me. 


I open the outside door to let some fresh air in & smoke out. That's when Petro arrived. I'm sure she thought me a complete nincompoop. In any case, she flipped a few switches on the oven & no more smoke, just nice heat & warm Malva Pudding. We all enjoyed a nice dish with cherry ice cream. Happy Birthday to me.


I'm happy to have made it to 32 years of age. After this past year or three years, I'm happy to reach another year of life... happy & healthy.


xxxxMaria

Ooooh! Hey there Hot Stuff! 

 Brr! This ain't Barbados anymore!

 Sunset!

 moody scenes

Artwork as life!

Day 531 - Time Travel

Technically speaking, today wasn't really much of a day. We left Atlanta at 2000 on the 6th. Somewhere on the morning of the 7th, we lost 6 or 7 hours of time due to time zones. Arriving in Johannesburg in the late afternoon didn't help matters much. In any case, the day was one of the better travel days. We flew business class. For the first time in my life. 

Wow. I've heard it's good, but I didn't realize it was THAT good. A bed! A freakin' bed! I could actually lie flat on the plane! What a concept! That's crazy! We had fluffy pillows, proper thick blankets, noise cancelling headphones & a menu to choose from. Oh & actual ceramic dishes with metal cutlery! What a trip! 

Naturally, as we were boarding, I noticed a Mom with two young girls making quite a fuss. I thought, Nooooooo, they can't sit close to us! That's about the time I heard the Mom announce to the Attendant that their seats were RIGHT next to ours. Great. Thankfully I was about to find out that we would receive noise cancelling headphones.

The trio of them were, well, interesting. We were about to take off, as in taxiing, as in moving plane, when the Mother decided NOW would be a good time to change the little girls poopy diaper. Like the kid has never gone 10 minutes with a dirty diaper. Wow. The Attendants were NOT impressed. They had to call the Captain & well, let’s just say it was a drama getting the plane into the air! Thankfully after 10 minutes of screaming & a CLEAN diaper, the little girl settled down. The other daughter was as quiet as a church mouse!

I think I slept about 5 hours, woke up, ate, watched Black Swan – creepy but intense! – and then fell back asleep for a few more hours until we were landing in Jo’Burg.

Jaco slept a fair bit, at least it looked that way, as every time I peeked over at him, he looked asleep!

Once we were in Jo’Burg, we waited for Reuben to come off the plane & we visited with him as we went through Customs, collected our luggage & proceeded to check in. That’s where our next hurdle began.

In Atlanta, they had tagged our bags all the way through to Cape Town. When we picked up our luggage to go through South African Customs, they told us we had to go upstairs & check-in in order to get a boarding pass. I was a bit nervous, as I knew we were WAY overweight. We had been given Business Class allowance – 3 bags each at 32 kgs each bag.

Naturally, everyone in SA wants a piece of the pie, so they were wanting us to check in all over again, saying they had no record of us & since we were flying economy to Cape Town, they wanted us to pay for our overweight luggage. I was furious, as I knew we were going to pay through the teeth. In SA, they only allow you 20 kgs, regardless of how many bags you have. Everywhere else in the world, you’re allowed 2 bags at 23 kgs each. Argh! We stood in line for 40 minutes arguing with this fellow & that lady about our already tagged luggage that all we needed were boarding passes & we’d be on our way. They weren’t going to budge. We were currently 84 kgs overweight.

Finally, a compassionate gentleman threw his hands up in the air & said, ‘Just let them go! They have been standing here for 40 minutes & the plane is boarding. They are going to miss their flights! They are Sea Men & the bags are tagged.’ I love this guy! Thankfully I had my Seamen’s book with me! (You are supposed to receive extra baggage allowance as a Seaman.)

Away we ran through security & up to the gate as they were boarding the last 12 passengers. I ended up in the middle of the very back row. Jaco was in the middle of the other very back row. Funny how life works. I was sat next to a Senior Advocate who was working on a very big legal case in South Africa. There is a large case regarding firearms & weaponry in South Africa & it will go to court on 5^th of May, 2011. 5/5/11. If you can remember, say a prayer that the case is won, as this country needs ALL the help it can get!

The gentleman sat next to Jaco was Colin Eglin. Who’s that you say? He was the leader of one of the political parties when Apartheid was thrown out & helped to re-write the new constitution in South Africa. Basically he’s a legend! How crazy that I was on the plane with these two incredible history making gentlemen! There was also a National Rugby coach on the plane with us, but apparently his ego is a little larger than he is… Hmpf.

When the plane landed, we had time to wait until we were able to get off, so I had a photo with the gentlemen. It made my day!

And finally we are here. The journey of a 1,000 miles. And then some. We collected our luggage minus one bag. Yes, it was missing. The nut bag was still in Jo’Burg. They are going to deliver it tomorrow. Fingers crossed! We made our way through the airport & waiting for us on the other side was Johan, Shilise, Gustav & Crystal. Jaco’s sister, brother-in-law & their son & his girlfriend. We hugged hellos & made our way to the cars. We were all a little worried about the luggage, but being short one bag actually worked well right about now!

We crammed it all into one car & with a suitcase beside me on the seat and 2 carry-ons sitting on the floor, we were headed towards Hermanus. Johan & Shilise drove home & Gustav & Crystal drove us home.

Arriving at home about 2330, Zandrie & Petro were up waiting for us. We had a little visit, but my eyelids started to get droopy. Of course, after we said goodnight, I came back to the room & checked my messages. Mom was online, so I ended up talking on skype & magicjack until 0400. Whoops. There goes jetlag!

In any case, we’re here & in one piece. What a journey. Three days later. Yeesh. I’m glad I’m here for a while.

Lekker slaap,

xxxxMaria

A little food 

 Comfiest flight ever!

 My Baby & my bed!

 Seats in Business Class

 C'est moi!

 Feet up!

 Lotsa room!

 Reuben & I by the beaded elephant in Jo'Burg Airport

 Beads & wire

 Colin Eglin & Sr. Advocate Hoffman

 Last ones to leave the airport after our flight

Johan, Shilise & Crystal - Gustav was somewhere else at the moment

Day 377 - Prayers

Today was a lovely sleep in day. We decided to head out to the Banff Mountain Film Festival for the weekend. There will be full days of films & early mornings, so we have to get prepared for that! We've been lucky to sleep late so often.

The dogs slept in the bed last night. I'm sure some of you are wrinkling your nose at that, but it actually worked well. They don't wake us up really early to go out! They sleep until we get up! Bonus!

Today I spoke with my friend Joanne. I was hoping to hear great news from her, but unfortunately it wasn't so hot. She had a CT scan earlier this week & all her tumours are back. Plus a few new ones, problems in her spleen, kidney & stomach, along with her liver & pancreas. If you get a moment or can take a moment, please say a prayer for her. She needs the strength, encouragement & hope to fight this battle. She's a beautiful woman with three children & a smile & a laugh that will live in your heart forever. Thank you!

Speaking of prayers, Jaco & I went to Neil's this evening for prayers. It was great to see the usual gang & a new member, Anna. We went through our requests & some beautiful prayers were said. It was a fantastic feeling - I know some amazing things happened tonight!

I came home to type up my Transat resumé. I typed it out. Then I got discouraged. I'm not applying. I won't be done my chemo by the time they do interviews. I don't have the time to refine my video to the calibre I would prefer. Grrr. Frustrating. It's a perfect job for me & it's slipping through my fingers. Fair enough, I'll probably end up spending more of the year traveling with Jaco by my side, or me by his side to a lot further destinations. There. I feel so much better! Whoo hoo! If all goes as planned I'll be in SA twice this year! Now I can sleep easy!

Tomorrow I'll zip into town for a few errands & then it's off to Banff for the Festival! I can't wait! Oh - got another migraine tonight. I watched on YouTube tonight that magnesium is supposed to help eliminate migraines if taken on a daily basis! Good news!

xxxxMJV&O

 One of my favourite photos...

 Our first trip comes to an end.

Sigh. These were my Incentive Pants. Skinny ones too!

Day 333 - Jacqueline!!!!

Well, today wasn't off with a very rosy start. I woke up with even MORE pain than the previous days. I was in dire need of a good toe stubbing to take my mind off the pain in my arm. It has escalated from a dull ache to a stabbing, throbbing pain. This sucks. 


After much resistance, I finally cracked & took a Tylenol 3. Just so you know & if you ever (Heaven forbid) have to take chemo drugs, the anti-emetics are constipating. Tylenol 3 is too. So, to combat the odds against me, I took 4g of Vitamin C in the morning & 4g of Vitamin C in the evening, along with a banana, orange & several large slugs of apple juice. Here's hoping! 


As for the rest of the day, Jacqueline came to visit! Yay! I met Jacqueline in March of 2009. She was about to leave Canada for South Africa with one of her girlfriends. Her Mother was petrified of her 'baby girl' going to a far away & scary land such as SA, so when my Mom & her Mom found out about the SA Connection, we all met for coffee so I could tell her Mom about SA & that is wasn't really that scary after all! Jacqueline & her friend, Adele, were volunteering at the Red Cross Children's Hospital in Cape Town & then traveling up the coast. 


Jaco & I were getting married in SA in April, so I invited the two of them to the wedding in Arniston. They came! Then, when we had the wedding in Waterton, Jacqueline made it to that one too! We've been wanting to meet up for quite some time now to talk about SA & share photos & stories... Today was finally the day! 


We had a wonderful visit over rooibos tea & some ginger cookies. FYI - Rooibos tea is from South Africa. If you haven't tried it, do yourself the favour. It's AWESOME! WAY yummier than green tea & definitely black tea! It's pronounced roy-boss (red bush) & South Africa is the only place in the world where you'll find it. Well, the actual bush - you can find the tea in the tea aisle at your supermarket - if they're a good shop! :o) I found a particularly wonderful green rooibos at Teaopia in Market Mall. The green rooibos has even more antioxidants because it hasn't been roasted yet. 


Jacqueline is studying at Mount Royal right now, but next summer will find her back in Africa. On top of Mount Kilimanjaro! What a gal! I'm so envious! And to top off the trip, she'll be chillin' on the beach in Zanzibar after her incredible expedition! We'll definitely meet for rooibos after that! :o) 


We made plans to get together for supper once her Mom comes back from her latest trip... I love meeting likeminded people who share a love of the same things you do. It makes live that much sweeter. Thanks for the visit Jacqueline - you made my week!


xxxxMJV&O

If Jaco & Jill doesn't sound funny enough... Try Jaco & Jacqueline! :o)

Jacqueline is driving away as Jaco closes the gate & the dogs chase a cow around the corner of the house. Talk about an action shot! 

Day 288 - Bronwen & The Art Class...

Phew. It's a busy weekend! Today Bronwen came to visit. I met Bronwen at a pub in South Calgary when I went to listen to Jessica sing. I commented on her beef dip looking yummy & she offered a bite. I declined, but sat down & visited with her instead. She has a 9 year old Rottweiler, named Roxy, and we had a great time talking about our dogs & traveling. I invited her out to the ranch & she decided to come out this weekend. 

We had a great chat & only realized how nice it was outside when she went to leave! I told her to bring Roxy out next time & we'll take the hounds for a walk. We also went through my beading stuff, as she wants to start making some jewelry... Should be fun to get creative together!!! 

After she left, I decided to visit Janis & Dustin. They were camping at a group campground on the north end of Kananaskis Country. I took the dogs & drove through a flash hail storm on my way. Once there, I met Janis, Dustin, Caleb & all their friends. One fellow had biked from Airdrie (!!), one couple was from Kamloops & the rest were mostly from Calgary. I enjoyed visiting with a Chiropractor & his wife, a Dental Hygienist who works WAAAAAAAY up north for one week a month. She was telling me that South African Doctors fly in & work for one month & then fly back home. That's how desperate they are for Doctors! Hmmm... I could smell a sunny way to make it through winter! :o)

Janis helped me make signs for Jenn's triathlon tomorrow. Janis is an amazing artist, so how happy was I when I realized I could sneak her talents in to sketch some letters! The orange paper was so bright we were colouring in the letters until 2300! It was nearly glow-in-the-dark! 

And Caleb. Wow! What a smartypants! I am so amazed at his vocabulary! He is 21 months & Janis counted over 170 words the little guy uses! I was impressed! I asked her what she's done - her secret - they never talk 'baby talk' to him & they read A LOT of books. 8+/day. My kids will be bookworms! Maybe I'll catch on one day too! :o) I love the fact that I can experience my friends becoming parents & observe the skills & tools they use. No pressure for myself as a parent, though! :oP 

Interestingly enough, I met Carl. Who's Carl? Well, when I met Bronwen the first time, she commented on wanting to go to the World Cup in South Africa. Of course I encouraged her to go, but she didn't have anyone to go with. The next day I met up with Janis & Dustin, who had just visited their friend Carl. Who was going to the World Cup. Who had extra tickets. He was hoping to trade the tickets for accommodation. I immediately thought of Bronwen & my pals in SA who would love to have a few Canadians crash on their sofas. I emailed Bronwen & waited patiently to hear from Janis/Dustin/Carl. But nothing. Oh well. 

Turns out Bronwen watched EVERY game, but in Canada. Carl went & had a blast. Bronwen still wants to get to SA... Anyhow, I haven't seen Bronwen since our first visit. I heard about Carl the next day. Now, Bronwen visits again & I meet Carl the same day. Hmm. Something tells me I should introduce the two of them... Not in a cupid way, but in a 'I feel like I should do this for whatever reason' way. In any case, it just seems odd that the 2 of them keep showing up in my life at the same times!

On that note, I boogied home to try & catch a few zzz's before Jenn's big day! I can't wait!!! I'm such an emotional sap, I'm sure I'll be bawling my eyes out when she crosses the finish line! Of course, after I photograph her winning finish!!!

Sleep well & see you tomorrow! 

xxxxx

Maria, Valentina & Oceana

The guys played soccer whole heartedly for quite a while!

Janis & Caleb - what a pair of cuties!

Day 217 - Running Around In The Snow

Okay, so last night I fell asleep to the sound of rain. I love to hear the rain & have a nice cool room while I'm snuggled deep under the covers. I have a window right next to the bed, so I opened it up a little bit & listened to the drops come splashing down. 


I woke up to the sound of rain & admired at how green everything looked. I love the miracle of Spring & how quickly things transform. Sadly, my admiration turned to disbelief as I looked out the window a few hours later & saw the rain transforming to SNOW! Ugh! Seriously? Yup.


It snowed all afternoon & through the night. Blah. So not excited about that! Mom & I went to town for the late afternoon & luckily it was only raining in the city. I managed to tick all the things off my list (on my handy iPod!). I picked up my engagement ring, as the stone was loose & luckily it was just a prong & not a chipped stone! Gasp! They polished it up & it looks brand spankin' new! Feels like I'm newly engaged again!! :o) 


I stopped at the bank & the teller was so sweet! We visited about wigs & weaves & she's going to include me in her prayers. How thoughtful! I told her I'm going to come back & show off some of my wigs... :o) I haven't been banking at the TD very long, but they are so friendly! I have yet to have a negative experience there! And they're open late & on Saturdays!!! Is there any question I've found a good bank? Especially after the CIBC omitted a digit on my cheque! Ha ha... That will keep my chuckling for a long time!


Next stop - Chinook. (For those of you reading from overseas, it's actually pronounced 'Shin-ook' (ook as in hook)) (It's a warm dry wind that blows down the east side of the Rocky Mountains during winter months.) If you're lucky, it melts MOST of the snow & then refreezes as slippery ice & then it snows again, leaving parking lots & streets a disaster to navigate! One of Calgary's bigger malls is called Chinook Centre. I popped into SportChek to see what kind of stuff they had for the World Cup. It's in South Africa this year & I thought I could find Jaco something with the South African flag on it. All they had was a t-shirt in a hideous shade of yellow. Never mind. Their flag is really pretty...

I was returning a luggage weigh scale that I used once in Mexico & then it broke. The lady wouldn't give me a refund & offered me a credit. I told her I had great luggage & enough handbags & wallets to last a lifetime. (Don't tell Jaco the handbag thing - a gal can NEVER have too many!) :o)  Mom had went to a restaurant to order some supper to go. I left the shop without my refund or credit & also forgot my keys there! I found Mom sitting at Starbucks. The restaurant was closed for renovations! Doh! I realized the keys were missing about now. We walked all the way to the other end of the mall & sure enough, there they were. As we left the shop, Mom pointed out the kiosk outside. They sold wigs. I told Mom, 'Nah, they're not my style & they are fake & they are expensive.' She said, 'No, come here. Look.' She pointed to the name of the kiosk - Oceana. Hah! Imagine that! We made our way back to the car & left the city.


We headed towards Longview. Tonight was Fawna's evening with some spiritual speakers from Australia. Of course we arrived late. I wasn't sure where exactly it was & I phoned Fawna's house to see if her husband was home & could tell us where to go. Her daughter answered the phone & I nearly bust a gut from laughing. Here's a recap of the conversation:
'Hello?'
'Hi, Fawna?'
'No, she's not here.'
'Oh, is your Dad there?'
'No, he's with my Mom.'
'Oh. We're supposed to be going to the event your Mom has arranged this evening, but I'm not sure of the location. Do you know where it is?'
Okay, this is the one that got me. In a totally posh British accent, she says:
'I'm not sure of the specific location of the exact event you are referring to.'
Are you kidding me?? I'm sure she's only about 8 or 10 years old!!! Too funny!


Anyhow, we found the place & of course, we were only 40 minutes late. The couple that were speaking were most talking about the Course In Miracles & how it had changed their life. The wife had just wrote a book & the husband did most of the talking. He was quite entertaining! We finished up about 2230 (!) & then headed home.


Before we left, we let the dogs out for a wee. While they were sniffing around, I hear this REALLY LOUD 'CRACK'! behind me. I turn around to see that someone has just SMASHED into my car!!! Oh no!!!! Poor Contemplate!!! I go over to inspect the damage & sure enough there is a big dent in the back bumper & there were bits of shattered plastic lying on top of the bumper from the license plate area. The trunk was also open. I tried to close it. Nope. Again. Nope. Again. Repeat 60 times. Nope. Oh dear. I know it gives me hassle from time to time, but NEVER this much!!! Finally it closes. The lady gives me her address & phone number & I am to call her with the cost of repairing the damages.


We drive home. It's a freaking blizzard. The slush is lying on the road & splashes up over the car, pulling it all over the road & making visibility zero. Add in the falling snow & the visibility is less than zero. (Negative visibility?) We drove about 60km/h the whole way home. I chatted with Jaco for a large chunk of it.


I just don't think he gets it. I tell him it's snowing (on the 27th of May) & he says, 'Oh, cool. That must be beautiful. You must enjoy it!' Are you kidding me? Does he have any idea how stressful driving in this 'stuff' is?!? Pretty? It's dark out & you can't see a bloody thing!!! And this is why I don't want to live in Canada!!!! I'll take an Australian dust storm any day!!!! And the debate goes on...


We arrived home about midnight, with a fair bit of organizing to do before the 0530 wake up call for tomorrow... Wish me luck, it's going to be a short sleep! xxxxx


Maria & Valentina

Oh so pretty.

Blah.

Not cool for the end of May!

Day 149 - Recycling, A Baby Boy & A PUPPY!!!!

OMGOSH!!!!


Today was a fairly exciting day when I stop to think about it! Of course I slept late after last night's 'bar scene' & the tummy ache. I am pleased to report that the chills, aches & belly ache are long gone! 


I was disappointed to have missed Jaco's call in the morning. I turn the ringers off at night because some of Mom's friends & family call VERY EARLY in the morning. I was a little bit paranoid that I was going to sleep too late & miss my ultrasound date!


I checked my emails & luckily there was an email from UC Baby notifying me of the password & username. I had one hour to go! I was so excited! I got a little breakfast ready & then prepped the computer for the show. I set up my little camera to record the video cast & Oh My Gosh! There it was! I could hear Ross & Krystle talking and I recognized her sister & her Mom's voices. It was so amazing to see the little baby moving about! Krystle had eaten a chocolate bar shortly before, so the baby was pretty wired! It was moving all over the place, waving it's arms around, sucking it's thumb, smiling, kicking, rolling around - it was brilliant! Ross' family lives in the UK, so it was pretty special that they could be a part of the pregnancy from so far away! The technician waited until everyone was online & we had all had a good look at the baby before he told us... IT'S A BABY BOY!!! I was crying like a baby! I was so excited for them! They are the most wonderful couple & I am so thrilled at the happiness they have found in each other!


The other exciting news was that her sister is having a baby too! Only 2 months after Krystle is due! How fun! A playmate already! Krystle & Ross are off to Mexico for 2 weeks for a 'Babymoon' - they haven't officially had a honeymoon yet, but now they're expecting, so a Babymoon it is.


Krystle & Ross met on ships & I'm a sap for a happy ending. They married last summer & it was by far the picture perfect wedding I've ever been to! Down to the tiniest detail, it was spectacular! Ross & Krystle are both photographers & Krystle shoots weddings when she's not busy being the most creative person I know! http://www.krystleimages.com shows a little of her creativity! I can't wait to meet the little fellow!


I had no sooner left the 3D ultrasound when the phone rang. It was Janis & they were on their way home from Banff. I made arrangements to meet them in Bragg Creek for a cup of tea. 


We met at the Cinnamon Spoon for juice & smoothies & conversation. They had been snowboarding in Banff for a few days & I was fortunate enough to catch a visit. Dustin entertained Caleb & their dogs while Janis & I had a quick chat. We always have a great time, but man, the world is small & it is crazy. 


Janis starts telling me about Dustin's friend from Calgary who has tickets to the World Cup in South Africa this summer. He's going by himself, but he has extra tickets & is wanting to trade them for accommodations. Since Janis knows I have a few links to South Africa, she wanted to know if I would be willing to help Dustin's friend out. Of course I would! But the funny thing is, the gal I met last night, Bronwyn, told me how she REALLY wanted to go to South Africa for the World Cup, but didn't have anyone to go with & didn't really feel comfortable going alone. I couldn't help but smile and the mysterious & marvelous way the world works! Unfortunately Bronwyn hadn't given me her details, so I had to do a little Facebook sleuthing, NOT stalking, to find her... We'll see if I get a P.S. bar or Grenadilla Twist this summer or not! :o)


I said goodbye to Janis, Dustin & Caleb & headed home to pick up the recycling. I thought I would stop by Jenn & Mike's for a quick visit while I picked up groceries & did my bit to help Mother Earth. I pulled into the recycling depot just as the fellow was closing the gate. THANK GOODNESS he let me in! One cardboard paper cut later, I was on my way to the Burnett's. 


Jenn has begun training for her first triathlon & I heard her make mention of a particular book she was interested in to help her out. I was in Costco on Thursday, saw the book & thought it would be good encouragement for her. I also wanted to share my yoga DVD's with her, as she was inquiring about those too. She was thrilled to receive her very own copy of Jillian Michaels 'Master Your Metabolism'! Yay! I'm so proud of Jenn for taking action to make this dream a reality! Her triathlon is August 8th & I'll do my best to be there to cheer her across the finish line!


Harrison played with Valentina again & I tried my best to get Mike & Jenn pumped about a trip to the Mediterranean for next year! Jenn has always dreamed of Italy & seeing as it's my favourite country, I take it on as my personal mission to see her in Italy! :o) 


I left them just before supper & came home to another missed call from Jaco! Darn! If only I could call him back! I had also missed a call from Roxie, the lady I got Valentina from. I called her back & I asked her a little bit about the puppies. I had decided if the puppy wasn't TOO expensive, I'd try to find a way to make it happen. Roxie told me the one pup would be perfect for Mom, as she's cuddly & very pretty. She's not dappled, but black & tan. Okay, so far so good. I ask the price & Roxie tells me 'Your Mom can have her'. I am thinking, 'Have her for what? How much?' Roxie tells me, 'For free.' 'WHAT?! Are you serious?' 


Roxie told me that she was so happy that Valentina ended up in such a good home, she would love to see this puppy end up in the same loving hands. WOW! I was so excited! Wait until Mom hears this! I told Roxie I'd call her back tomorrow after I had a chance to talk to Mom & make arrangements to collect the puppy! Little Annie was coming home!


How much did my bubble burst when Mom wasn't elated!? She didn't know what she'd do with her when she had a photo shoot all day. Hello, excuse please? You take her with you & put her in a big kennel in the back of the truck or you leave her at home with pee pads for her. Problem solved! How many ALL DAY shoots do you have a year? 3? Just think of the unconditional love you'll get! Every single day! Without falter! Annie will never wake up & be mad at you! She'll always love you! No matter how bad your breath stinks or how crazy your hair looks or how much you burnt dinner (not that my Mother does any of these, just for example! Seriously!) So little effort for so much in return. Everyone should experience the unconditional love of a Dachshund. Mom wanted to think about it overnight, so here's hoping she wakes up in the morning with a warm heart & a desire for a cold nose.


What a day it has been! Babies, puppies, triathlons, I can't take much more action! I'm tired just thinking about what tomorrow will bring! :o) Not really, I'm excited!


Love & hugs,
Maria & Valentina & hopefully ANNIE!
xxoxxoxxoxxoxxoxxoxxoxxoxxoxxoxx

Janis, Dustin & Caleb on their way back from the Snow Trip!

Day 140 - Results. Or Not.

I know I posted earlier about the results or lack thereof, but I'm still trying to catch up! 


Jaco did indeed call this morning. I had left Skype on, but my computer went to sleep. So when he phoned at 0400 on the house phone, he woke the house up! Whoops! Mom woke up & brought me the phone, looking all disheveled & nothing like herself. I love that she says to me, 'It's 4 o'clock, what are you still doing up?' Um, what are YOU doing up? Maybe we're up for the same reason? We heard the phone ring? :o) She later came back to my room to tell me to talk quieter - I love how she can hear a pin drop without hearing aids at 0400, but can't hear me talk across the table when she's wide awake & hearing aids in. Sigh. 


Anyhow, Jaco was on his way... Capetown to Johannesburg to Atlanta to Montego Bay. He was flying business class, so hopefully he'll catch a little rest on the plane & not be too wiped for work!


I went back to bed & fell asleep to the sounds of Mom printing, typing & clicking away in the next room. She was up & didn't want to go back to bed. Yes, I feel bad! They left about 1100 for their big road trip.


I left for town shortly thereafter. I had some running around to do & of course, the biopsy results at 1400. As I mentioned earlier, I waited 2.5 hours only to be told they didn't have the results back! $8.75 in parking... The poor fellow at the pay booth. He received all of my change! I am glad he didn't drop the parking 'arm' on my car as I exited!!


After I was set free with a week of wiggle room, I ran my errands, the usual, CNF, Costco, and then to prayers. It was a great night at prayers! Valentina was exceptionally charming & managed to gain the affection of everyone there! That's my girl! :o)


So there you have it! The exciting day that wasn't! Here's to a bigger & better tomorrow! Ha!


Love & hugs, 
Maria & Valentina
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Doesn't this room look like a fun place to hang out for 2.5 hrs?

I mean, who wouldn't want to chill out in this avocado green chair for half the day? It looks so comfy! I'm sure there's a massage button somewhere!

Even Valentina got bored!

Day 113 - Montserrat Erupts & I Clean the Kitchen

I woke up at 0645 to bright lights & silence. Mom was up & at it & had every light in the house on. She was no where to be seen. She was at the other end of the house in her bathroom. I stumbled into the kitchen half awake & proceeded to start turning off lights until I made it back to my bedroom in darkness. Last week I told her to remember to turn out her office light when she leaves, in order to save power. I'm not sure. Maybe this is some sort of reverse psychology on living green.


In any case, I saved power until the late morning when I finally got up. My neck has been kinked the past two mornings. I'm not sure why, perhaps Valentina has me doing tricks in the middle of the night. :o)


I managed to clean the kitchen & sort out some paperwork. I called the bank to try & organize a few things, but the lady on the phone got nosy about my trip to Mexico & 20 minutes later, she learned her lesson to never ask personal questions if she's on a limited time schedule! :o) We had a few good laughs, although she didn't help my finances any!


I called a few friends today & had a wonderful chat with my friend Joanne. She is doing really well on her program & I am so happy for her! She is spending this coming Christmas in Dubai with her daughter, who recently married & now lives there. I told her Jaco wanted to spend Christmas in SA, so perhaps on my flight over I could stop in Dubai for a few days & see her! How fun would that be! Joanne has this incredible talent of making me laugh gut-wrenchingly hard. I don't know how she does it, but every time we chat, it happens. 


Today was shot no. 6. Yes, I missed a day. Yesterday was late all around & I'm paying for it today. My throat is tickling & my nose is running. Let's hope I nip it in the bud! In any case, that leaves me with only 5 shots to go! Yay!


Oh, yesterday I forgot to mention, along with my email from Jaco with the CV, I also received an email from my friend Ami. Ami was my roommate when I worked on the Coral Princess. When we met, it was a total Forrest Gump scene when I boarded the bus to go to the ship. All the seats were taken until I got to Ami. I asked if the seat next to her was taken & we were inseparable from that moment on! Ami & I used to go to the gym on a regular basis & one day I was running on the treadmill next to her & when my 20 minute stint was up, I said I was finished. She asked how far I went & I said 1.5 mi (or so).  She said, 'WHAT? You're going to quit now? But you're so close!'
'So close to what?'
'5K!'
'No, I'm only 1.5.'
'No, Silly! 3.12 is 5K!'
'Really?' I asked in disbelief.
'Yeah!'
'Oh!'


So I popped the treadmill back on & did my first ever 5K run! I was so proud! I felt such a sense of accomplishment! Ami was the first (& only) person to ever get me running. Why did I tell you all this? Well... This is the email she sent me. I'm still a puddle when I read it...

Hi cutie,

I'm running in a 10k in May in support of cancer research and I was wondering if you would be okay with me putting 4 Jill C on my shirt because I would like to run in honor of you and your fight. I'm so proud of you and how strong and brave you are and that you have stuck to your guns in regards to your treatment. Even if your name is not on my shirt I'll still be thinking of you while I'm running and using you as inspiration to get me to the finish line. Let me know what you think and let me know how you are doing. 

X

Ami

Needless to say, I've never had anyone do anything like this for me before. I feel absolutely floored. I don't stop to think of myself as doing anything out of the ordinary. I guess I feel like everyone out there who has the same thing as I do would be doing all the same things as I am! The research, the questioning, contacting survivors & trying all sorts of crazy things to make life work! I am speechless, but as far from emotionless as I have ever been! Wow. Thank you Ami - you have no idea how much this means to me!


I also heard from Jaco. Twice. I had checked his flight departure time when I got up & thought I'd already missed him. But then he called about 2 hours later. Apparently the volcano on Montserrat was erupting & the visibility was affecting flights out of Barbados. His flight got canceled. He was now on a flight at 2100 this evening. Then he calls me at 2200. That flight got canceled & he's now stuck at the airport until tomorrow morning! Poor fella! He hardly slept the night before, he won't sleep tonight & he can't sleep on a plane & he has a good 24-30 hr journey home! Worst of all, because his flights were canceled, instead of flying business class, where he could try to sleep, he's been bumped to economy! I think he needs a good luck travel charm!


Speaking of travel... I'm such a nerd! I put the new 'Who's Online?' thing on the blog & I'm so excited! I've had people all over the States, Canada, England, Norway (!), & Africa check out the blog! Yes, I know, it doesn't take much to amuse me! Thanks for giving it a read!


Alright, I'm sure there is more news I am forgetting, but I'm pooped & need to get some shuteye. Have a wonderful weekend & feel free to update me on the Olympics... I don't have TV out here & I would love to know the scoop! (Not the bad news though - I already heard that!) Go Canada Go! 


Love & Gold Medal Hugs,
Maria & Valentina
xoxoxoxoxoxoxox


No pictures from today, so here's a few from SA last April. Enjoy!

Henko, Jaco's Nephew, in his new Flames jersey!

What a handsome man! I'm so lucky!

Our B&B on a citrus grove near Addo, South Africa

Grenadilla blossom