summer: are you coming my way?

i think so. this week it has been slowly escalating to hot hot hot. and i am loving it. and when i need a break from loving it. i hop down to my beloved basement where everything is cool and refreshing! fabulous!

anyhoo...mark is officially on summer break! whooo hooo! i don't think he could feel any better right now. we spent our first official holiday day (well mine was just the weekend off but regardless) at the St. Albert Farmer's Market. so i have never been. HUGENESS and LOVELY! apparently it is one of the biggest outdoor markets in Western Canada. and it lived up to it. plenty of lovely food and other delights. we got ourselves some tasty delights including lovely cinnamon buns, green onion cakes and pasta! yum! definite carbo loading if you ask me!

then mark went to work on his big landscaping project. i on the other hand lazed around (i.e. napped) and then attempted to do some sanding projects. a little frustrated with my project as i don't think it will be what i would like it to be (and it turns out it is a lot more work than i though) but i have to wait and see. future posts on both yard and mine later when all is completed.

speaking of beautiful projects. mark's uncle john made us the most fabulous-ly beautiful bookcase. i don't think we could have imagined it being any better than it is. it is fantastic. wendy, david, and john all joked asking if it was enough space for us. and yes it is. and it is full! as well as our bookcase upstairs. what can i say. i married a husband with a book addiction. i think there are worse things in the world?

i am kind of in half marathon training right now as well. but not doing as well as i should as my motivation is in other places and although there are places to run, i do miss the beloved river valley...that is presently very wet (although with the sun, probably drying out). jimi and i were suppose to do the colour me rad in Calgary today and i was quite pumped about it...unfortunately do to all the floods Calgary had other worries to think about than a little five km race.

AND lets just say that all of southern Alberta is doing a great job in handling this massive disaster...and on top of that the amount of generosity i have seen from Albertans, Canadians and people world wide have once again astounded me. its pretty awesome to see. and to be able to see it again on social media...really shows the positivity of these kinds outlets!

i think that covers it all for me. here are a few pics that i haven't posted this month.

a fire-pit in the summer. is there anything better? it makes for an easy but great meal of hotdogs, banana boats, and cherry pies and mixes in with mark's favourite pastime of making fires.

sibling love on this lovely evening of food.

graduation day with my fellow nurslings!

all dolled up for the lovely occasion. our next stop? home depot of course!

 the grass is back and wilder than ever! and yes it grew once again.

 

 i think mark is in heaven right now as he not only has his yard to play around in but he has "his" dog. we are dog sitting while wendy and david are on vacation. i am assured that this is only temporary. ;)

 i saw my long lost friend jeff who i hadn't seen since may and really didn't even get a chance to talk to all that much! so lovely. and yes this is jeaninne protecting her hair from getting wet as she didn't want to "frizz" out.

lovely friends

 "let's go thrift shopping," i said

"it is the perfect day to do it as it is rainy," i said later

"holy it is really wet," i said even later

"remember the whitemud flood that we got stuck in, in 2004, i think we better go home cause i think its going to happen again," i said lastly

he he. yes jeaninne and i went shopping and i guess some of the roads did flood but not really where we were, all was safe! but we did see this die hard fat franks guy selling hot dogs. we just had to stop and see him. cause really...in torrential downpours he deserved our business!

 ahhh hot dogs so worth it!

 

 no finds for us...but one lucky lady found a cute little toy!

till next time...

love  

convocated

today was my convocation day. i never went to my last one. i don't really regret it as i didn't know many in my faculty (and it being a huge one) didn't feel like i was missing out amongst the massive numbers. but after attending mark's graduation and enjoying all the ceremonial aspects i decided that i was going to attend mine.

and i did. with my husband. who diligently took pictures of me and my friends. who waved at me from the audience and who facetimed my parents so that they could watch me receive my BSc degree in nursing. that's right my parents attended my graduation from new brunswick. lucky lucky me!

it was a wonderful morning. the first day of summer and the first day of no rain this week. and it was a happy day. the school journey is officially over for a while...the learning has just begun.

It's just the beginning.

I must say. When we were first moved in I was massively overwhelmed. Not the unpacking part. But the part where you start to convert the show homey look into your personal look. You know the one. When people walk into your home and know its yours and your partners. 

The challenge for me has been trying to merge Mark's minimalism with my bold, bright and just a tad excessive. Not to mention my incessant need for urgency to finish it all up. And really all we have is time. 

It's kind of funny as it reminds me of how I started to plan the wedding with billions of things going through my head of what needed to be done. And dear dear Mark reining me in and stating one step at a time. 

So the process has begun. And I have lists and projects to fill my summer months. Plus I have amazing friends that know a thing or two of what to do and where to look. It shall be fun and let's hope not to expensive. Ha ha. 

Love

The joys to be young

I got to hang out with one of my dear friends and her three year old daughter. This is what I learned from her today. 

Playgrounds are really fun. I don't know when they stopped being as exciting. Possibly it was about the time when i didn't enjoy the slide as just a slide or the swing as just a swing. It was when the equipment had other purposes to the made up games we would make to make it even MORE fun. 

When leaving the playground it is the end of the world. It is the biggest problem and in fairness it is a big problem as you don't get to control when you want to leave. Poor little bug. I feel your pain. 

Finally having to leave that playground and feeling very upset I am reminded of what my dad used to say when I longed to be a grown up and make grown up decisions and be rid of being told what to do. "One day, Tracey, you will make those decisions and you will long to be a child.  Cherish being young."

Dad you were right. 

Love

dadders, its dad's day!

wishing you a stupendous day!

love

A little escapism.

Just had two days off and during that time took a little run around the neighborhood. Must admit I did get lost a bit but enjoyed some of the trails. And my favourite song right now is this one. Don't know many people got to see this show as it did get cancelled but loved it. Might have to do with it being about broadway. He he. Been singing it in my head for the past three days. 

Now on to my day two of six.

Love

Hard nights

I am reminded of something. 

When things get hard at work. 

And at times they really do. 

The staff remind me how great they are. 

I can lean on them, ask questions, get answers, 

and more important than anything else, 

I can laugh with them. 

Sometimes you really need to laugh. 

It helps you get through some of the hardest situations. 

Some instances tonight had me laughing all the way home. 

Love to laugh.

Love

It's officially been a week

Everything that is needed has been unpacked and looking pretty good. I have to admit that we went pretty hard with the move. So hard that I was pretty physically exhausted and waiting for the weekend of nothing. But it seems that both of us just can't sit still even if we tried. Lol.

Saturday was looking for potential gardening things to landscape. Mow the lawn and weed the garden for Mark. For me, fix up the basement, set up my desk and make storage shelves. Side note: My scrapbook stuff is set up and ready to go....eek! Then a little rest. Organize papers, make some steak, attempt a fire and settle in for a movie. Sigh. 

Sunday was grocery shopping day. Then off to check out the local market. Yay for green onion cakes, kettle corn, and cheese bread. But boo for no fat franks, teehee. Then a family dinner with some lovely people. Sounds just like what a weekend should be for our first week in our home. 

Love

We are in and settled.

Some other things that I know. 

Dishwashers are fantastic appliances. The press of a button and a half an hour everyday of my time is gone. BONUS. Mark does the dishes now. 

Unpacking is hard work. Especially when you try to accomplish it in a day. 

And things happen. Especially when you move from room to room organizing everything. One may get distracted and after the third load of laundry, may start to look for their cell phone. Then realize that the dryer is making a clunking sound. Sigh. 

Moving can be expensive. Refer to the above. 

A sectional and television have proven to be the best buys. Because the books are packed and we need to relax somehow. 

Parents are fantastic people to FaceTime to show the daily progress of the house. And get the house advice. 

Finally. A cat finally enjoys the space that there is no need to escape outside. As of now. 

Love. 

The adventure continues...

Well we are officially in our new home. 

With the most incredible help from David, Wendy, Donna, Jeaninne, DJ, Anita, Fraser, Rob, Matt, Garet, Jimi, and Cassie we have everything at our new place, minus a few odds and ends. And I truly mean incredible. We couldn't have done any of it without them. Thank you, thank you, thank you. 

And how do we feel after all this? Exhausted. Happy. Excited. And ready to make this home a home. 

Now must go to bed. Have to work tomorrow morning. 

Love

Life

And a new home. 

This is what I know

This is what I know. 

I am not good at moving. 

It is hard work. 

It is dirty. 

The place is disorganized. 

Their is lots of dust. 

All our stuff is in boxes. 

This is also what I know. 

Mark is good at moving. 

He is a hard worker. 

He knows how to pack. 

He can roll with the dirtiness. 

And lastly I know. 

This will be over in less than a week. 

We will get to decide where to put all of our stuff. 

We will have a place of our own. 

We will have our own home. 

Love

A little bit of family time.

On our last family dinner (before the big move) with my brother and his girlfriend Cassie we had a bit of dessert brought by them. 

Jimi says, "Aren't we going to use the same plates?" 

I start to laugh. 

Mark and Cassie look at the congealed cheese remaining from our dinner and reply no. 

Feeling at that exact moment that Al Robertson was talking at us Jimi and I both look at each other and say "save your fork".

Laughter ensued. 

Love those little family moments and grateful for the reminder of fun family times. 

This is my life...

A sea of boxes....

Day off part two

Because I didn't want to jinx it
Because I couldn't say it the whole six days
Because I needed it to be true so I patiently waited
Work was okay, pretty good, this rotation week.

It feels good to be done and good overall.

Love

To my mom

Wishing you a most stupendous day. I love you. Happy mom's day! A few little pics of my special mom and family

Love

Day 7

Last day and it was savored....

Day 6

On the sixth day off what is a girl to do. 

Well considering it was crazy windy last night and I had a pretty horrible sleep I was just glad it was my day off. So I had a post nap after I got up to say good bye to Mark.

Then I went to a massage appointment. Lovely. 

Then I went to the park to pay a little visit to long lost little P and Jeaninne. We checked out the new target and I have to admit I got a little excited to decorate the home and make it officially marks and mine. 

Once home again we had a perogy dinner and I made cinnamon buns for the second time this week. I love life right now!

Love

Day 5

And lucky me. I had the day off in the city that had the national high temperature today. And what did I attempt to do on the hottest day thus far. Run. May have been a bad idea. But I did it and half marathon training begins again!

Next up was to register online for my RN status. Pay my fees and await the mail for the official news. Next up was do a little kijji surfing for any good deals that may arise...and finally continue a bit of packing. Then off to the respite!

Ahh. Days off are really fantastic. Sometimes mundane as I really don't do that much, although in my head it seems that I do. But I really do love them and must appreciate the sense of non work related stuff I do...although it is on the back of mind and creeps up on me as the days get closer. He he.

Love

Day 4

When one finds a cat one must find the owner. Even if you have named the cat and envisioned him living with you in your new home. Even though he is a cuddler and slept and played with you in the morning. Yes. A owner must be found and found he was. And very happy.

Then one must deal with the other kitty in your life as he decides to see how much we love him by making a run for it. We proved our love looking for him and realizing he may have been in the yard the whole time. Sigh.

Then the day becomes a day of rest. Soaking in heat, vegging, napping, little pack and a little clean. Dinner with the brother and his girlfriend outside in the setting sun. And a movie at night. Life is lovely.

Love

Day 3. And a little late

This is what happens on a third day of a week off.

- respond to kijji ads to find items that a house may need. And with those responses you get a sectional sofa, and seed potatoes. Sometimes it doesn't all pan out as the person with the gardening tools doesn't answer her door and the neighbor double parks behind our car as we were apparently in her spot and she is angry at us and wants to call bylaw....I regress. All resolved and we were out of there.
- prepare for a margarita party since cinco de mayo is around the corner. Clean, prepare food, and finally drink and have fun with all my fantastic friends. And it was a wonderful spring evening to celebrate on our patio.
- say hello to a little baby kitten that crashed our party. Try to lead him back to his home but realize he is a social cat. Take him in name him white socks and strategize a plan to find his home today as our white wonder is an only cat...although for the time being he is getting used to having a new annoying acquaintance.
Love

Day 2

Day off the second. What is a person to do. Savor it. Go to the Italian bakery. Do some odd errands. And then clean. Pack and clean some more. Phew. After all that I think homemade cinnamon buns are in order. And because they are so good I may have two, or three, or four. He he. After that one must finish the laundry. When all the household chores are done another reward must be order. So off to see Iron Man III. Ahhh days off are grand.

Love

Day 1

This is going to be a week of gratefulness. Yes. I made it through my first official week at work without buddy shifting! He he.

And today is day one of seven days off! And it is spring outside! Really if I am honest I started my days off last night redeeming keg gift cards...lobster tails anyone!

But onto today:

I made a couple of phone calls to start my day.
- signed up for a half marathon
- signed up for CPR
- signed up for a couples cooking class to make Caribbean food. Yum!
- signed up for a pension plan

I unfortunately attended a funeral of one of my friend's father. But I have to say I was glad to be there for her and it was a wonderful tribute and "celebration" after. And in turns of gratefulness you take note of the special moments you have with people and how they really need to be treasured.

Lastly I went for a run. A lovely spring run. And the training commences once again as a half marathon is not to far behind. Hope my body can take it!

Then again maybe spring isn't here.

A moment of reflection and appreciation

When things get really hard and you are transitioning into something new I think its important to surround myself around positive people. People I can talk to, people who can give me advice, lean on, vent to.

Half way into the week I have been able to lean on some very important people so here comes the shout out. I have thanked many of these people before but it just goes to show me that these people are my number one supporters and I am so very very very lucky to have them in my life.

First my number one person, my Markness. There to greet me with open arms when I may have been a 'little' on the sad side. I am so happy to have such an encourager and cheerleader on my side. I know I could do it without him but I am sure as heck glad I don't have to. He makes my life happier in these times of change and gives me the perspective I need.

My two moms, mom and mom in law. They are both there for an earful of my venting, listening to my fears, encouraging me along. Both available to listen a lot last night. They empathize in just the right way. Also having them both experienced in the health profession helps me loads.

My friendlings in the same field. Robyn and Casey. They are living my same life or have and can give helpful hints of what can be done better. Plus they have fun stories in return. I am indebted to them. Plus they make me laugh. Something I need!

Finally some new people I have met in my working life. Team members and management who have offered me support, a hand, help and etc., when I just am unable to help them in return. I will remember this forever and will hopefully return the gift one day or pass it along to another newbie.

And I think I am going to so a shout out to myself. After talking to these said people I have realized how far I have come and really there is so much growth to follow! Give me time!

Love

Birthday boy

Well this has been a busy busy month. And I have to say, I have kind of lacked in the picture taking. There are a few but really not worth putting up. But I do have some of a very special man in my life celebrating his birthday last weekend. I am working on his big day so we decided to have it a little early.

What were his requests? Sloppy joes and ice cream cake. Sigh. Exactly what he picked when we were kids. He he. I made salad to green the meal up. Lol. Gifts were given by my parents: paint by numbers and taco bowls and mark and I: three things of tea (one included was birthday cake) and a portable tea diffuser mug. Good times.

I hope he had fun, minus the minor incident of kitty escaping. I have already said how much I adore my bro. He is pretty awesome. I would be terribly sad if he didn't live near us as I love listening to his laugher and jokes. I am glad that we can get together every Sunday or at least every second Sunday to have dinner and chat it up.

Happy birthday Jimi

Snow is melting.

Don't tell anyone but I think spring is here.

Another lesson to learn

With my new job I am learning tons of valuable skills everyday to help my patients. As a new grad, and it has been reinforced by the literature, it can be quite overwhelming. Some days I take it in stride and others I take it home.

That is the one thing that I am trying very hard not to do. Believe me it is hard. Especially for someone that strives for perfection in a not so perfect world. I begin to analyze my every move until my head is left spinning. I knew I was in trouble one night when I couldn't sleep and I was having circular dreams of being on the unit. Work is obviously on the brain.

When that night happened, (luckily I wasn't working the next day) I started to look for blogs. I came across this lovely lady right here. All of her lovely lists really hit home. Especially the first one of being patient. I am finding this the most frustrating as I just want to know everything now. Something that isn't plausible. I really do need to just be patient, continue to ask questions, keep calm, carry on!

Continuing on and scrolling down I read the most important one, don't beat myself up. It was like she was talking to me. She knew that that is what I was doing. And with that I decided to take on one of my very first and most important assignments after getting this job. Not taking work home with me.

Many people have already said this to me. I think it's hard for me as the drive is pretty long and I am really just left with thoughts. But I really must must try to make a conscious effort to leave work with work. Shut my mind off, listen to loud music, eat healthy and run hard. I owe it to myself, my partner, and even my coworkers and patients. This is my mental health and it needs to be valued as it not only affects me but those around me!

Wish me luck on my new assignment.

Love

Bought and sold...

He knows.

I don't know how but he knows.
He has had many acts of rebellion.
Running downstairs, foot fancy free.

Squeezing through the front door,
Through the gate, and into another's yard.
Listening intently for two hours,
As his family cries his name, willing him to be found.

He knows. As he scrapes through our door in a flash.
Jets down to the basement and hides in the storage room,
Then the furnace room, then back to the storage room.
When caught he lets out a cry in dismay.

Wendy thinks this is normal behavior.
He is spring kitty.
Dying to be let out and roam the plains.
I think he knows.

He knows we are moving.
He knows he has to leave this place.
And he is not to happy about it.
If you don't believe me read this.

He knows.

Love

We committed.

Well it seems that our house hunting has come to an end. Yes. It is true. We found our perfect fit. It happened just how we predicted it would. We both just knew. My requirement of a big kitchen and Marks requirement of a fantastical yard worked. And everything else seemed pretty fab too.

Of course we wanted to make sure and got some veteran house buyers to take a walk through and an Internet search. Both parents seemed to think it worked. But of course, again, we needed to be doubly sure, getting a house inspector to check it out. He thought it was pretty good too, in his inspector opinion.

There is some work to be done. And I may have had a mini panic attack the next day thinking how are we going to furnish this place and make it look acceptable. But I talked myself down....with the help of my partner saying that it will take time and really there is no need to make things perfect overnight, or at all.

The only sad bit about this process is that it is over. I had fun going through the houses and checking out how people decorate, how they utilize space and what not. It was a very fun process and a little shorter than my liking. But if you find the one, you must stick with it!

This year is full of plenty beginnings for us. I must take a minute or too to just reflect and feel grateful for some of the fantastic things that have come our way. Many people in our lives have been so super supportive of us during this housing process. Big special shout out to both sets of parents. They have educated us in so many ways regarding this new process. We love you and couldn't have done it without you!

And I have a personal moment of gratitude to my partner in crime as he has really taken helm of this very big process for us. Making the calls, appointments, attending the meeting, as I am orientating to my new job. He has been superb. Although I did enjoy his little joke that I was getting even with him for his 'involvement' in our wedding. Jk. He really has stepped up and done a great job. Xoxox

With all these new changes, beginnings, and opportunities I am reminded of a movie from when I was young, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't slow down and look around, you might miss it" (ferris bueller, 1986).

Love

My first month

This last month my mind has been in a bit of turmoil. Change is never the greatest thing I go through and starting a new job is always a nerve wracking thing. So I find myself going through the process in my mind of how I am doing in this first month of working. Lots of newness and challenges. One very happy perk is that I really like people and I think I am good at talking with them. Maybe, even, be pretty good at resolving conflicts?

I knew this already but it clicked at how important it truly is. You hear it all the time in school. All the touchy feely stuff that people mock. You spend semesters learning, theorizing and debating how it works yet not really knowing how to do it. The funny thing is the patient really is never going to care how well you did that dressing, or how perfectly you did that iv start. But they do care how you treat them, talk to them and how you give care.

There are many of my friends and family that have been patients and told me their feelings of being that person cared for, their fears, angers and frustrations. They wanted respect. They wanted to talk. They wanted to be heard. They wanted answers. The answers can sometimes be hard to find, but I am trying and will continue to try and work hard at finding them.

I am trying my best to weave through the system and provide care in a 'caring' manner. I think that accounts for something.

Love

Home alone in the big city

It was my mom's biggest fear. A fear that I thought was silly and would never happen. To be all alone in New York City and not know what to do. We took steps to prevent this. Of course first we would never be all alone since we were traveling with our partners. We exchanged flight information, told each other the address of the apartment we would be staying and had numbers, iPads, and a meeting point in the airport.

We (Tracey and Mark) were in Toronto when we got the first iPad message. Dad and mom were in Philadelphia. There flight was delayed and they wouldn't be arriving till four pm. Our flight would be in at 345pm. So the logical step was to meet them at their gates. Message sent in return and no reply. So off we boarded heading to New York City.

La Guardia airport and my mind lapses as I realize we are at different terminals. We gather our luggage and head for the ten minute walk to theirs. We wait. Nothing. I call their cell. Nothing. No free wifi there. I pay, turn on my IPad. Nothing. We head back to the Air Canada terminal. No parents there. I continue to call. Send messages. Go back to their terminal, go back to ours. Back and forth, back and forth.

I am now visibly upset. Where are my parents? Why have they not called. Texted. We are tired. Mark suggests that we head to the hotel as that is where he thinks they headed. This appalls me. Not Mark's idea but the suggestion that they wouldn't have waited. More agitated I finally relent and call the owner of the apartment. He says no one has called him. But I am more likely to think what Mark is saying is right. They must be waiting for us outside at the door. In the rain, with their luggage.

Off we go taking our first NYC cab in NYC. At the apartment. No parents. We meet Peter. Nice man. Showed us the place. I tried my best to listen but all I really wanted was the wifi key to turn on my IPad. He showed us the place. Sweet, great space, prime location, amenities all included. Out the door. IPad on. No parents. We text my brother. He hasn't heard. The home alone jokes start. Look in Central Park. Find the lady with the pigeons. I find them mildly amusing but only mildly. Where did they go? They are well versed in traveling, having traveled all their lives.

I go outside thinking they must have grabbed a bite to eat. Negative. Upstairs I go and Mark holding our one sole communicative device, gets a message. 7pm. We are at the airport. Just landed. How much is the cab? Found.

What happened to them. Their flight got cancelled in Philadelphia. Actually rephrase. My dads flight got cancelled. Leaving mom to travel on her own to NYC. She refused as I stated before. It was a fear. And as it turns out her fear was likely to occur. They texted, they emailed. And their IPad failed to deliver the messages. Their pay and talk phone failed to make calls. Basically communication failed them. They took a late flight. One we never knew about and made it.

Once at our apartment we had our hugs, welcomes, told our exasperated stories and the real fun began. First stop pizza slices on restaurant row. The rest of the vacation was smooth sailing and lovely. All one really could ask for.

But for once. Just once. I would like a smooth arrival for everyone in my family. Just once!

I don't know why I do this.

Maybe it's for the reaction.
Maybe it's to see if he will like it.
Maybe it's for the hope he will like it.
Maybe it's because I like to laugh.

I made pesto with cauliflower.
Last time I tried asparagus.
Pasta is his favorite food group.
If it is considered a group.
Pesto is even a better food group.

It didn't fly again.
He ate his least fav food first.
That was salad.
He then had a smile on his face as he took a heaping spoonful of pasta.
Then his reaction changed.

It looked doubtful.
It was wondering what was in his mouth.
It made me cry with laughter.
Then he started to laugh.
I think I know now why I do this.

Love