Its time

for more photos. This is a sampling of what I've been up to this past summer. Tami, I tried to email some photos, but they came back saying your new email address wasn't valid. Please send it to me again, I must have screwed it up.

Today I woke up

and I was 40 yrs old. So what! To me 40 is not that bad at all. I have lived about half my life now and it has been good. I still have another 40 yrs or more to make it even better.

I am proud of what I have accomplished, and look forward to learning much much more. When I think about how much I thought I knew 10 yrs ago and how much more I have learned since then, I can't help but look forward. I know I can't possibly imagine what lessons I will have learned by the time I wake up 50, only because I had no idea what lessons I was going to learn by the time I was 40.

I like to think "But I am much smarter now, so I can imagine what I will learn by looking at what I have learned, and I am cocky enough to let myself think that some days, BUT, I am also smart enough now (from lessons learned) to know that isn't true.

Have I confused you yet? It's like that at 40.

My god!

How do you guys do it? Everyday I think about posting. Everyday I don't seem to find the time. I guess its just not very high up on my priority list.

Life is good.

I love my new job. It is what I was meant to be doing. It is the perfect fit for me. They want me to do my job exactly the way I have been saying for years customer service/sales jobs should be done. They actually want me to serve my clients best interests. Even if it doesn't make any money for the company. I know, a lot of companies I have worked for say the same thing, but then do the opposite. They don't actually practice what they preach. These guys do.

I am probably getting into dangerous ground blogging about this, but I feel very passionate about it. I can't believe I am being paid to do this.

On another note, we are getting cable back on Monday, so the computer will be much more available to me and my blogging whims. Maybe I will be able to start posting with some kind of regularity.

Life is good.

Wow, what a month.

July
Come and gone
changes
happiness
miles and miles and
smeared bugs on the windshield
joy
learning
loving
exciting
ying and yang
confirmed
resolute
final
completed
redeemed

I kinda like it.

I am sitting here at Chair's place. This is the first time in weeks that I have had more than 10 minutes in a row all to myself and I don't really know what to do with myself. I have already done about 2 hours of reading. I am unpacked and ready for tomorrow. I gave Job a good brushing over and had a long chat with him. Its really quite nice. Since I'm not at my home, I don't have piles of laundry, stacks of dishes, errands or much of any responsible like stuff to do.

I think I like it.

My last day at my old job was Friday. Tomorrow I start a week on training for my new job. An exciting new job that I am really looking forward to. It will have many challenges and learning opportunities for me. The kind I like and I want to jump right in with both feet.

However, the people I spent 40 hours or more with every week are still much on my mind. The job itself, not so much, but the people for sure.

I miss you guys already and hang in there Neesja, you just do what you can and the rest will take care of itself. What needs to get done will.

Hmm...

You scored as Cultural Creative.



Cultural Creatives are probably the newest group to enter this realm. You are a modern thinker who tends to shy away from organized religion but still feels as if there is something greater than ourselves. You are very spiritual, even if you are not religious. Life has a meaning outside of the rational.

Cultural Creative 94%
Idealist 69%
Modernist 63%
Existentialist 63%
Materialist 63%
Romanticist 56%
Postmodernist 50%
Fundamentalist 31%

Take this quiz yourself, go to:

http://quizfarm.com/test.php?q_id=23320

NOW!

I want to go home right NOW!

533

sleeps to Christmas 2006, 8 sleeps until I finish my current job, 10 sleeps until K & I spend a week with Chair, J & Theya, 11 sleeps until I start my new job, 22 sleeps until K & I go see Avril and stay with Chair, J & Theya again & thanks to K sitting here reminding me (& correcting my spelling AND punctuation) 46 sleeps until I turn 40.

23 seconds until this sweet face is grounded.

HOLY SHIT Batman

There has been way too much going on in my life. Kaitlin and I went on our road trip last Wednesday, got home Monday night. I went back to work Tuesday am and I haven't had 2 minutes to myself since July 5th. Literally. Even my dreams, when I find my mind slows down enough to get there, are full of everyone else.

But my time has been filled with good things. All of it good.

I had so much fun with my buddy Kaitlin on our trip. Tuesday morning when I got up to go to work and she got to sleep in, I missed her. I found my thoughts wandering to her all that day.

And tonight we had to say goodbye to "The Briere's". They have become such a big part of our lives the past 4 years. We will miss them sorely, but wish them lots of fun and amazing adventures in their new home in Ottawa. I am going to start the official countdown to when we get to hang out with them again.

534 sleeps to our arrival in Ottawa for Christmas 2006!


I promise to get some pictures posted soon. I have found a few minutes to get them uploaded from my camera, but I now have to get them all on flickr and then I can post a few here. I actually took about 150 pictures in the past week. I know flickr won't let me upload them all there, but I will get the best ones on.

I was going to put just one on for now, but flickr is currently having a massage, I am not.

Whats new?

I have put a few things to rest in my mind. We are not buying any land this week, or next week. Dean picked up a good used beater to get him to work and back and we do not feel it is in our best interests to trade down what we have now. We were looking at trading in our family car for something smaller, cheaper, better on fuel and more importantly, lower monthly payments. But when it came right down to it, saving $50/mth is not worth giving up the space, air conditioning & ride. It's too late, I have been spoiled.

I met with my boob doctor yesterday. Everything checked out fine, I can expect to go from my current state to a size B to C chest area in approximately ONE YEAR! It took me 6 mths just to meet with her. Now that I have decided to go ahead and do this, the wait is killing me. I don't want to buy any clothes, but I need some tops badly. But nothing fits right and why buy something that isn't gonna fit in a YEAR? Wait, that's a year, I can damn well wear out a few things by then. I am going to buy some new tops dammnit.

A whole year, sigh.

I am told this surgeon is worth the wait though. And really, what's one more year after 25 with this pair? I can wait a year for perky, not to mention better posture, neck and back relief and losing 5 lbs in an hour.

Still, a whole year, sigh.

I got the rest of my planting done. The mosquitoes enjoyed it as well. I need to find something to keep the cats out of a section of my garden though. There is a neighbourhood cat or two that think this corner is the best place to crap. Any ideas out there? Last night Kaitlin and I made a huge mud mess that will hopefully keep them out for a day or two. I have been using moth balls this year which does work, but it stinks when you walk near and the rain washes them away. I have been told that orange peels and or egg shells work. Has anyone tried this?

Oh yeah, and I am on holidays now. The piles didn't all get done, but someone else will have to worry about it for the next 2 weeks.

Saturday was the best day I have had in months.





There is really something to putting daily worries and stress away and relaxing. Looking ahead to a couple of weeks of relaxation is just what I needed. And I got to spend some cuddle time with Theya.

Too much

There is soooooooo.... much going on in my world this week. Mom and I took a look at some property for sale about 5 minutes out of town that we MAY, big may, be interested in. Dean and I are talking with a few people about a few different cars. Work is verry crraaaazzzzzie busy and I need to get the whole damn pile plus the other pile, plus the other, other pile, plus my follow up, plus look ahead and deal with some of what "might" come up in the next 2 weeks while I'm on holidays before 5 o'clock tomorrow. PLUS, there is another big thing I can't talk about. And then its final exam week for my newest teenager. And I have the consultation with my boob doc on Monday. Volunteer luncheons and get togethers and school year end wrap up stuff. Oh yeah, I still haven't planted my tomatoes in the ground yet and I have a few flowers to put in pots or the ground still.

SO, I am not going to write more than a Hi!, and give you some more pictures of what I can't believe I live next too.

Its here! Its here! Its here!

My camera has arrived. I have been testing it out a bit. It looks like I have a lot to learn. I picked up this book but I haven't opened it yet.

I was going to post a picture of the view from my desk at work, but I have decided it would not be a good idea. Work and blog don't go together. So instead I will give you a photo of a view from my hometown.




Whenever I see something like this in my town, I can't believe I actually live next to this.

sigh..

Still not here. I checked my order status. It was shipped. It was supposed to arrive on June 14, 2005. I will give it one more day.

While I wait, what do you want to see a picture of? I have decided the first photo I am going to post is going to be of the view from my desk at work. I look out onto the busiest street in town and on the other side of it is a gas bar, grocery store and large hotel/restaurant/bar thingie, all with either apartment buildings or trailer courts peeking out from behind.

But it is so damn green right now. All this rain has made the earth spew green. I love June green. It is my second favorite colour. My favorite being the contrast of that same green against a dark foreboding thunderstorm skyline. Something like this:




or this:




I just love all the raw power in scenes like these. I always thought I would grow up to be a storm chaser. It would be an awesome holiday, chasing storms across the countryside.

Still nothing

It's still not in. I got to pick my delivery date when I ordered it and I picked the first available date, Tuesday June 14th. If its not here tomorrow, I will seriously be upset.

The great divorce is what will happen when Dean finds out I bought it. We are supposed to be paying down our credit cards, not shopping. I have been doing very well at the debt reduction thing, but I won't fool myself. I am only doing it so I can rack it up again on my holiday. And what's a holiday without tons of photos? And why wouldn't I get a new camera that will allow me to show the internet world what I did?

I want to be the next great flickr slut! I will be the next great flickr slut. C'mon, say it with me, "Monarch, you are the next great flickr slut".

I hope I didn't accidentally pick June 14th, 2006.

Damn!

It didn't come in yet. The great divorce will have to wait another day or two.

I am going

to pick up my camera!!

Flicker slut coming soon

I have ordered myself a digital camera. Nothing fancy. But a pretty good one, as far as I would know anyway. I can't wait to start snapping away and addicting myself to Flicker. I promise I am going to make you sick of my flick.

I have been wanting one for over a year now. I want to be able to post & email pic's like the rest of the world and I have always had an interest in photography. I asked for one for my 40th birthday this August, but I am planning a road trip during my two weeks holidays that start in 13 sleeps, Yah baby!, and I want a good camera for this trip.

Kaitlin & very likely my mom-in-law and I are heading south through Drumheller to Calgary and then back up to the north through the Rockies. There will be quite a few firsts for Kaitlin, like the Tyrell Museum and the Calgary Zoo, and a few for me too, like the Columbia Ice Fields and Jasper. I am hoping we have time to stop at the Miette Hot Springs too. My point anyway, is that I can't wait for August for this camera.

So, I have decided not to wait, and on Tuesday I get my birthday gift early. Dean doesn't know yet, so unless he reads this, which is very unlikely, he will only find out if you tell him. Of course I will show him what he bought me when it arrives. Kinda a reverse birthday gift where the surprise is on the giver not the getter.

I am very excited about this trip, and even more about the camera and all the flicker possibilities. I am a little concerned about my mood on this trip though. I will be either pre-menstrual, which means anything could happen, or I will be menstrual, which means migraine city.

Oh well. I refuse to let hormones in on my fun this time around. I am not the monarch for nothing. I will rule!

June

My absolute favorite month of the year

Fresh
new
green
sweet smelling
THUNDER
rain
bright
Fresh
loverly
Fresh

May

Done
Over
Finished
Hairy
Kaput

Testing, testing, 1,2..

Okay, here goes...

hows this?