Back to Life - Back to Reality

Back to life indeed. I took a bit of a break from emails and my blog in the month of August (mostly 'cause I was on vacation for awhile and then just too busy at my new store). Now that it's September and I've had a few weeks to get settled in at work and back to my routine at home, I feel like I actually have some time now to blog and start answering some long overdue emails!

My new store is great - definitely a lot bigger than the old one and it has a much faster pace, but I can now remember where everything is and have finally memorized everyone's names! It's been really great working so close to home - it only takes me about 5 minutes to get to and from work, so it's a lot easier both on me and on my car! I also have a lot more energy now when I get home so I can do more with my evenings and not just want to come home and crash on the couch.

Our vacation in August was fabulous! Mount Tremblant is gorgeous and I'm so glad we got away for a few days as we really needed it. We then spent some time at my parent's house and that's always fun as it's really rare that the whole Brimley family is at the same place at the same time. Definitely looking forward to the next get-together soon! I also got a chance on my vacay to visit Susan and Lance and meet their wee one Ainsley (who is the most beautiful thing ever and fell alseep on me for awhile - too cute)! Once again though, summer went by wayyy too quickly. At least this year I feel like I actually got to do a bunch of exciting things and don't feel like it passed me by without me taking advantage of it. I also have a really exciting year to look forward to (6 months 'till Uganda), so I'm hoping the winter will speed by and hopefully it'll be spring before you know it!

In case anyone is wondering why the heck I have a "Hobbit" themed blog-page now - I am currently in the midst of re-watching the entire "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and felt the need to make my blog a little "hobbit-ish". I'm a huge fan of the movie (and Tolkien's books) and I watch the whole trilogy at the end of every summer (not just the movie, but special features and the whole kit and caboodle). I find these movies hugely inspiring and can't wait until "The Hobbit" movie comes out in 2011! (Peter Jackson is writing the screenplay so I know it's going to be amazing).

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Off to the Chateau!!

As I am just a wee bit excited about my trip to Quebec, I thought I'd post some pics of the hotel we'll be staying at. Chateau Beauvallon is a "luxury" hotel - but thanks to both an internet special and the "mid-week" special, we can actually afford to stay there for a couple of days! It's been open since 1942, and sits on a "vast, private, lakeside property in the heart of the Laurentians". It got glowing reviews from both Frommers and tripadvisor and hopefully I'll be posting my own glorious review next week!

Here's to vacations and hittin' the road for awhile!

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I'm on Vacation!!!!

That's right folks, I am now officially on vacation for the next 11 days! I'm takin' it easy at home tonight as I was up at 4:45 this morning for work - there's a pizza cooking in the oven and a couch and a couple of movies that are screaming my name. :) Tomorrow morning I plan on having a nice sleep-in, followed by a jog and a swim in the pool - then I plan on spending the rest of the day doing whatever I feel like doing! (ahhh, the joys of being on vacation). That only lasts for one day though, as Saturday I have to go get my hair done (and anyone who knows me knows I hate that more than going to the dentist) and run around doing errands as Chris and I will be heading out to the Laurentian Mountains in Quebec (Mount Tremblant to be exact) for our 2-year anniversary, followed by several days at my parents farm with the entire Brimley clan.

I'm super excited to get away for awhile as I am in desperate need of some relaxing and recharging - with being sick for so long, moving again, and all my work changes, the past several months have been kind of difficult and nerve-racking so it'll be good to get away from it all. I've been trying not to let things get to me so much (as I'm a prime example that it's not good for your health) but sometimes it's just too easy to get wrapped up in the little things. I really need to get to 100% again as I'm starting at a new store after our vacation and I know that September means that the Holiday season (aka - crazy/insane season) is right around the corner, and in retail that means busy, busy, busy until January. It also means that our Africa missions trip is right around the corner (we're going to Uganda for two weeks in March with 4 other adult leaders and 12 kids from the senior high youth group). March might seem like a long ways away, but when you're organizing a trip to Africa that involves lots of people, and most of them teenagers - 7 months really isn't that long. I know it's going to be great and life-changing for all of us though, and it's cool to have something that big to look forward to.

On a completely unrelated note - I reactivated my Facebook account today. It's been over a year since I've been on it, and it's kind of like rejoining a conversation that's already been going on for a long time. I mainly rejoined as I wanted to see updates and pics from my friends, and I do realize now that it probably is a really good way to stay in touch with people nowadays. We'll see how it goes and hopefully I don't become a facebook addict!

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Welcome to the world!!

Well little Ainsley Grace Innis has finally arrived! My good friends Susan and Lance welcomed their first child into the world a couple of days ago! I talked to Susan today and she sounds great, and both her and the little one are doing just fine. Susan is my first really close friend to have a child, and it is so amazing that her and Lance have created such a miracle. I know they're going to be amazing parents and little Ainsley is one lucky girl! I'm so proud of them and excited for them as they start this new journey together!

Welcome to the world Ainsley - you're only a couple of days old but you already have a ton of people who love you and care for you and are thrilled to be friends with your parents and watch you grow up!

"Every child born into the world is a new thought of God, an ever fresh and radiant possibility."

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Lovin' the summer

So we're moved and settled in for the most part. (Alright, alright - I've been procrastinating and still have a lot of unpacking to do). But we're here at the new house and so far, so good. Chris' commute has gone from about 45-50 minutes to about 20 seconds, and although my drive into work is now longer (about 35-40 minutes), I'm most likely transferring to a store around here in the near future so then my drive in will only be about 10 minutes max.

It's been a crazy couple of weeks though - it's hard to believe it's already the middle of July! I did have my first "beach day" yesterday though, so now it actually feels like summer has begun for me. Chris and I went up to Wasaga yesterday with some friends from church and spent a fabulous day in the sun and playing in the water with our lovely blow-up dinghy. I'm now sporting a lovely tan and am slowly catching up to the killer tan I had last year. (I'm now a safe tanner though - most of my tan is actually fake spray-on self-tanner. Since a scare earlier on this year I have become a big proponent of SPF 30!!)

Chris and I also had a great day this past Saturday. We had planned on going to the scenic caves in Collingwood, but when we woke up it didn't look like the weather was going to co-operate. While we were trying to decide what to do with ourselves, yours truly came up with the truly wonderful idea of driving to Buffalo to go shopping. My ever-spontaneous husband said "sure!" and off we went. It didn't take too long to get there and we decided to go to the Fashion Outlet mall. Now I haven't been to Buffalo to shop since I was probably around 16 years old. This place freakin' rocks. Tons of great stores, great prices, and only 4% tax!! Why in the world don't I go there more often! Needless to say, we bought a ton of much-needed clothes and decided to start driving back at around 6:30pm. We ended up stopping in Niagara-on-the-lake for a bit to walk around on the lakeshore and then had dinner at a great spot called the Anchorage overlooking the lake. Stuffed to the brim we finally headed out, got home super-late and crashed as soon as we walked in the door. (Shopping takes a lot out of you)!

Next up on our summer fun list is a camping trip with the senior high youth group from church. We're heading to Turkey Point next Friday for three days of camping and fun outdoor stuff with 4 other adult leaders and about 10 youth. Then we have our week-long vacation in August and although we're not 100% sure what we're going to do for that week, we're thinking of driving through the Adirondack Mountains in New York State and spending a couple of days hiking, mountain biking and white water rafting. Both Chris and I are craving a bit of an "adventure vacation" so we're gravitating towards that.

P.S. To all those planning on shopping in Buffalo. Apparently when crossing the border back into Canada, if the border officer gives you a slip of paper, you're supposed to pull off to the side and pay the Canadian taxes on your purchases. Chris and I had no idea, so when he handed us the slip and said "do you know where you're going?" we both thought the slip of paper was just some sort of documentation everyone got, and that the officer was just being really polite and making sure we knew our way home! Ha! We kept driving and didn't realize until we got home and googled it that we should have stopped and that you can be charged and prosecuted if you keep driving! (Oops!) After a whole night of me worrying that we were going to get arrested, Chris called them the next morning and they said that although we should have stopped, they appreciated us calling and this could be our "freebie". Goes to show you how naive I can be . . . ("wow - that border patrol man was so nice making sure we know our way home - how nice Canadians are)!! ;

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Randomness

Here's some random thoughts of mine for today:

* Sometimes I think I talk too much. Someone will ask me how my day was (just out of politeness) and suddenly I find myself telling them every single detail about my day. Even while I'm talking I'm thinking to myself "too much information Suzanne - they don't need to know about the bee that chased you down the street while you were walking the dog or the fact that you forgot to mail a birthday card" yet I just can't make myself shut-up. I definitely suffer from verbal diarrhea way too often.

* I love rain in the summer (especially a sun shower) - I took a break from packing this afternoon and just sat on my bed with the sun streaming in listening and smelling the rain. Perfect moment.

* My new favourite magazine is "Self". Used to be the Oprah magazine but I find it's too repetitive and sometimes a little too introspective. Self seems much more accessible to me right now.

* I love being tan. I've gotten smart though and no longer tan the "real" (ie. dangerous) way. I just started using the new Jergens daily glow stuff that has SPF in it. I've only used it for one day now and already a look a little more "glowy".

* CFRB 1010 rocks my world. I could listen to that radio station all day and not get bored. (My favs are Bill Carroll, the Motts, and John Moore). Sometimes I go out for lunch just so I can listen to the Motts for 30 minutes while I eat!

* I have made a pledge to myself that the only fast food I will eat from now on is Mr.Sub or Subway (or anything else that is a healthier alternative). No more greasy fries or burgers for me!

* I'm much more productive in the early morning than in the afternoon. I can usually get more done between the hours of 5am to 9am than any other time of the day.

* I can sometimes be the queen of procrastinating. Here I am blogging while I should be packing. Maybe I'll watch one of my "guilty pleasure" DVD's while I pack my books (namely my Newlyweds DVDs or my Alias collection.) I know Nick and Jessica are no longer together and Alias isn't on TV anymore, but anyone whose watched these shows has to admit they are kind of addicting (and the kind of thing you can watch over and over again).

Okay, I'm signing off for today - I probably won't have a chance to update again until next week when we've completed the move and our internet is back up and running, so Happy Canada Day everyone!

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Moving . . . again

I am about to move again. This wouldn't seem like such a big deal, except it'll be my sixth house in less than three years. Oy vey. We're moving to the house on the church property, and I am pretty excited as it's a great house (big, yet cosy, a salt-water pool, lot's of beautiful property, and a great wood-panelled room that's going to be my office/music room). I just hate the actual process of moving. We've had access to the house for the past couple of days so we've been slowly moving some stuff in already, cleaning, and repainting some rooms. I still have yet to pack up all my books (and believe me - this is a huge task - I am a bookstore manager after all) and then we're renting a truck and doing the big move this weekend. Say it with me folks - Oy vey.

Hopefully we're in this house for quite awhile as I honestly don't think I'll be up for another move for at least several years. It's also a great house to have lots of little kids running around in! (No, I'm not pregnant yet - there will be no babies until after next spring's Africa trip) I'm also excited at the prospect of becoming more active at the church and building some relationships with the members of the youth group. It's been difficult to get involved as our current house is just too far away and we couldn't afford the gas money to have both of us driving to and from the church every week. Also, half the time I'm too exhausted after work to do much of anything, let alone have the energy to interact with the youth and be my best self. Now I'll be much closer (right across the parking lot)! and attending youth group won't involve a tiring 2-hour round-trip! The amount of money we're going to save from Chris' monthly gas bill is going to be amazing!

My health has been up and down for the past month. I really thought I was getting better, but I still experience the chest pain a couple of times a day. Our real estate agent has a friend who has something called "Prinzmetal Angina" and it actually sounds exactly like what I have. Once we get settled in at the new house, I'm going to follow up with my doctor as having chest pain every day kinda sucks.

I have started exercising (running and yoga). I have muscles hurting that I never even knew existed! My running is actually pretty sad as I could barely make it to the end of my street. I modified my plan a little and now run for one song, speed-walk for one song, etc). At the end of a half-hour I'm pooped but I'd forgotten how good it feels to have a good sweat!

Alright, I'm off to start packing my books. I've been procrastinating for awhile as it was such a beautiful day today. I have to admit the "breaks" I've taken from packing today have been pretty long (it is summer now and you have to enjoy it while it's here)!

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