September Summer

Pip and Artemis at the apple orchard.

I finally had a good dream--to erase all the nasty reoccurring ones I've had lately. It involved a room full of all of my closest girl friends from over my life time. And we were all on good terms :)

BTW, I love my new LG dishwasher. It has improved the cleanliness of our kitchen ten fold.

I can not put down my novel. I am working on my thesis. But I take breaks and head back into my novel to edit/rewrite. My mind is on fire--I cannot go anywhere without a pen and paper to collect new sentences that constantly come to mind. I love writing fiction--nothing thrills me more in the way of work.

Little girls are down the hill at the park with a friend. Mist is home watching a DVD. The big girls have a piano recital tomorrow evening and then Mist a sleep over party. Pip is very excited about PJ day at preschool tomorrow. She's mentioned it several times today. Tabs has her final soccer jamboree of the season on Saturday. So many activities to attend and it is going to be near 30 oC tomorrow! All I want to do is pack a picnic supper tomorrow night and head into the mountains for a hike.
I have a ethics review to submit next week. I need an external committee member by tomorrow for everything to go as planned :s

Friday night is supposed to be adult sports night. I think a hike or bike or tennis is in order. Problem with the Kettle Valley railway is that by the time we get up there after Peter's work--the sun will be starting to set :( Maybe an early, early morning bike before the soccer jamboree. Nah--that means biking in the dark on narrow ledges on high mountain cliffs to get back home  in time. Rats. The kids and their activities can sure take all the fun out of a hot, fall weekend!

I am so looking forward to my favorite novel coming to the big screen, "Never Let Me Go," is one of my all time favorite novels and it should be making its way to little old Kelowna soon :)

We are off next weekend to Nelson, BC for Thanksgiving at my sister Theresa's house.

Kelowna Land & Orchard

I attended a field trip with Pip's preschool. It is a popular orchard to tour. It is located above a steep cliff  and beneath it is Mission Creek--full of Kokanee Salmon spawning. And where ever there's an abundance of apples and  fresh salmon you can find bears--and lots of them. The orchard is filled with bears in the morning. We witnessed giant piles of fresh bear poo everywhere and flattened paths the bears have made up the ravine and into the orchard. The most popular apples to grow now are: Galas, Green Delicious, Ambrosia and Fuji.
The pics are of my baby girl Pippi and my niece Artemisia. The little boy is one of their best buddies at school. His mom told me that after the first day back he said, "It was great to see my girls again."

Peter's been away at work all day 7 AM until 10 PM--his centre for Teaching and Learning at UBC is under review so he must play host to the out of town review panel.

It has been the most beautiful weather this week: hot and sunny. I took the girls out grocery shopping tonight and out for supper-tacos.

I've been suffering from stress recently: sleepless nights, feeling depressed--this followed a period of no appetite and super energy. Thus, I remembered the Dalai Lamas wise words, "When in doubt, do nothing." So instead of forcing myself in all directions to get back on a zen path, I took the morning off to meditate, journal and figure it all out. I set Pip up with puzzles and then a Scooby-Doo video.
What materialized was feeling much better. I wrote down what were my problems and what I wanted to do about them. I clarified what activities in life are really important for me to keep active at and which ones I can let go of for now. Lucky for me, Buddhism came up as something I want to remain active at--otherwise the name of this blog would have had to go! It also involves more sports. I always feel like I am at the centre of the universe when I am active outside whether it's hiking, tennis, skiing, skating, swimming, biking. If I'm outdoors and being active I am always happy. It's hard when my family doesn't appreciate the same sports as me. Case in point: Peter refuses to take salsa dancing with me--ever :(  But at least I've got him enjoying biking a bit :) It's strange--I love sports but truthfully I'm not a natural at most of them. Dancing? Yes--I'm a natural. But skiing and skating? Not so much--my legs are really long compared to my body so my centre of gravity is too high.

 I've been having this reoccurring dream for the last six months or so: I am deeply, profoundly unhappy and no one in my family seems to care or get it. They basically ignore me. It always involves me being on the wrong path and hating what I'm doing--drowning in unhappiness and unable to help myself or find help.
I don't quite get it. I don't think it can be literally interpreted because it really isn't the case in my real life.

Saturday Morning Tea on the Balcony

While Tabs and Peter were at soccer, Mist, Pip and I had a tea party on the balcony. Saturday was absolutely beautiful. We had family pictures taken by the lake (school fund raiser) and a family lunch picnic at the beach.

Mistaya just got back from skating lessons. It was interesting as it was an adult/teen skate and she, being 13, was the only teen. Her class mates were profs from UBCO that Peter recognized and school teachers that Mist recognized--she enjoyed the class none the less.

Calming my racing mind. I am falling into the old trap of worrying about the future and wanting to have my future mapped out to the T. Of course all this ever does is make me doubt my map as anything more than depressing. Planning the future does that to a person--it never looks that great on paper.

So, the Buddhist way: fly by the seat of my pants. I've decided that at each point in my life, I can do nothing more than attempt to juggle all of my career aspirations (painting, writing, teaching) within a path dictated by creating good karma. If at any point of my life, I am attempting to fulfill my goals in a manner that creates "good karma," then that is all I must do. So, no worrying about: what if it I cannot make it happen, what if I am bored, lonely, broke etc. If I am simply present, working hard in the moment to achieve my goals in the areas I deem important (and doing it in a good karmic manner) then all is good.
I feel good flying by the seat of my pants--it requires me to be full on in the moment--open to experiences, open to others. I do it when I travel and I am always a happy traveller.

Tomorrow I attempt the Knox Mnt. Bike. This time, I will not do it at 4 AM. No way! That mistake cost me  an entire week! It screwed up my system and I caught a cold from my girls. Thank G for XStrength Cold FX. That is a life saver. It blew my chest cold right out of my body in 4 days.

I've been watching last season of The Office. I love Michael. He is the best and the worst.

Field trip to an orchard with Pip's preschool class tomorrow.

I've officially put down my novel until I receive my MA. Thus tomorrow is the start of my full on attention to my thesis. I am afraid, I am very afraid. I want to run and hide back in summertime. The fall is so raw, so harsh, cruel even. Fly by the seat of your pants my girl--this will keep me optimistic about life. I like thinking something wondrous is right around the corner.

My Girls

First day of school 2010 (Pip preschool).
Still have the bug. It is a upper/lower respiratory. Of course, everyone else in the family has it as a head cold. Not me. No, I have it in my chest. My lungs are my Achilles heel. Any bug I get ends up there. I am over-dosing it with Cold-FX XStrength. Hope I don't need antibiotics.

I must put away my novel for awhile. I am head over heels into more editing. I edit each page about 500x. But I just met with my supervisor and I am now full on into thesis mode. I have a ethics review deadline on Oct 6th. Thus, my novel will be brought out once I hand in my finished thesis (a few months from now). Until then it is MA or bust.

Girls have the day off school--district proD day. I took them to UBC with me. They explored while I had a meeting. Afterward I couldn't find them! Every time I went to our meeting spot they were gone. Turns out they took many trips to the bathroom and I kept missing them. All is well though, we finally reunited.

I took the girls to the mall this a.m. We had coffee and picked up leggings and socks. Mist is at a movie marathon date with her friends. She brought Fido because her dad is in it.

Peter finally is playing basketball again. he's on a team with some of his students. After the game all he'd admit to is, "I need more cardio." However, I haven't seen him take himself up on his own offer.

I've taken a 3 day break from working out because of my chest cold. I won't work out anymore if I have a chest bug. I hate not working out but c'est la vive.

Tabs is busy making plans. She's sketched out her trick or treat route already, made and packed her Thanks Giving crafts to take to Aunt T's, sketched out her Halloween costume plan. That girl is always ready for anything.

Tabs helped Pip write and illustrate her own book about Weldy the Pug. It is so cute!

The Fairies of Balsam Wood

My girls and their cousins and friends.
I have caught a cold from Tabs and Pip. It's the first day of sore throat and upset stomach.
My MA thesis is in Digital Fiction (studying identity within new, unrecognizable [in the traditional sense] online ficiton)--it is a Fine Art thesis. I realize I can talk at writer's conferences, e-conferences. I am excited at the potential. I am so happy that I pushed my boundaries, the boundaries of graduate studies and explored switching to an MFA. I learned a lot. Mainly that my MA thesis is an MFA thesis and it provides me so many opportunities ahead for my writing career. In addition, it clarified for me just how passionate I am about literacy, and writing.
I astounded myself, realizing that the thesis I have chosen, is really one of my most creative endeavors to date.
I am not ruling out a PhD in digital fiction at some time in the future. But for now, I am determined to learn all I can about my subject, get my MA, speak at a few conferences and leverage my MA to get all my fiction published.
I am going to supplement my writing career by selling my nature paintings. A travel painter--traveling to all the sacred, natural places in the world (mainly BC) and sharing what I find with the world through my paintings.
I truly feel blessed that I have struggled and learned all I can from my experiment.
I would not be nearly as educated in my choices had I not tried the MFA.
I believe that in following a straight path, one misses too much. It is in the zigs and the zags that one gathers knowledge. At least, I have proven it in my own life's quest.
I have to be in 4 places at once tonight: make that 5: Tabs has her final soccer practice, her first day of Youth Choir and a parent teacher interview all at 5 p.m.. Mistaya has to be at school for the Social Justice Club Pot-Luck, which she is helping and performing at. I already declined the pot-luck, however, I'd love to see her and her friends perform "We Can Dance."
How can I do this? I cancelled soccer, I will take Tabs for a little choir and then rush all of us (Pip, Tabs, Mist and Me) to Tabs school. I guess I'll have to drop Mist off early for the Pot-Luck--before 4. But no one will be at her school at 4--so I don't really want to do that. I guess then, she'll be late--it's safer to be late. Though I'll have major tears to listen to!
And to top it all off I have a hair appointment at 2--I'll be running non stop until probably 8 tonight. HELP!
All of this and I feel like crap with this cold :P

Waiting For the Sun to Rise

Pip and I at Doe-Doe Park last Thursday (we named the park after our dog).
It is 5 am. I have been up since 4 am. I have completed my weight lifting routine. I am waiting for the sun to rise so I can bike up Knox Mnt. Am I insane? No, sadly just a victim of clock sabatoge. SOmeone messed with my bedroom alarm clock. It said 6 at 4. I arrived down in Zen Studio to find the clock said 4. I was sure someone had messed with the studio colck and put it ahead 2h and proceeded to do my workout. Afterward, I wondered why it was still so dark at 7 am. I got on my computer to facebook until the sun came up and discovered my time quandry. C'est la vie.
I don't like biking up Knox in the dark because of dangers. The coyotes are super bold in the dark and will bark at me from beside he road; not to mention the 2 legged creeps that can occasssionally be found in a dark park.
I guess I'll be pooped later today.
I must get groceries as soon as I drop Pip at preschool. Then I must start right back on my thesis: dig up my research ethics sheet, call my supervisor to set up a meeting.
The big reason I decided to go for my MFA was because I was so desperately tired of putting my art/creative writing on hold. I felt doing my MFA (a visual art thesis) would alow me to embrace my art once again. But the truth was that I had to put my creatuve self on hold even longer. I had to take lame research based classes all year and wouldn't have time to jump into creating until a whole year at the earliest. So, actually fininshing the MA by the end of this fall will allow me to jump into my painiting/writing much sooner. That's all I want: to paint and to write and to make money doing it.
So that is what I shall do. As soon as my Thesis is complete, I will jump into being a full time artist. I am so excited about this. I will continue to educate myself in both fields through international workshops, and making local art/writing connections.
I will make a hair appointment today to get some low lights. Can one ever be too blonde? The answer is yes.

My Furry Little Friend

 I found this spider this morning in my backyard--a very attractive one at that. She was resting on the tomato plant. I was in the yard doing dumbell lunges--one thing led to another and soon she was posing for a photo session.

I am missing John's lens that he lent to me for my Malaysia trip. Shooting little friends difficult with my lens. I need a macro.

So stressed--I always loose my appitite and feel manic when I'm stressed--like I'm on a treadmill and I can't get off.
I have officially pulled out of my MFA--returning to finish my MA. The MFA program was not what I wanted. I don't want to sink $10,000 and 2 more years into my Ed. I am dying to finish, get a p/t job for the soicalization and then work like crazy painting and writing.
I believe I can finish my MA by January 2011.
I never worked harder applying for anything then applying for the MFA program---all that effot for what? I'l tell you what. I needed to organize my work and really examine where I've come from and where I am going creatively. It clarrified my goals for me and now I am ready to make it all happen. Plowing through the UBCO MFA hit me like a jail sentence. The classes were repeats of what I know. I knew it was not the MFA for me.
I must leave now and take Pip to her first skating lesson. It is so sunny and warm outside (I am in a tank top) that it will be odd headng into an ice rink. Borrowed little Artemisia's skates for the day as the lesson   came upon me suddenly and I forgot to buy Pip skates.
Mist has 2 friends over, jamming for a David Bowie airband. Tabs is making supper with her friend Mickie. They're starting with a pumpkin pie from scratch. She is making the pastry as I type this.
Signed up for Salsa lessons tonight. Only because I love to salsa dance and I am heading into a fall slump of feeling like I have to get the 'H-E-double-hockey-sticks' out of Kelowna for awhile. I need an "outside of my box" experience to calm myself.

Bike Butt Blues

Confusion once again. I know what I want--I just don't know the best way to get there. Meditation tonight is in order.

Bought the girls the season of Glee--they adore it. This way I limit them to one show per day. As we don't have TV--haven't had it in 4 years--I buy the girls their favorite series on DVD. I confess, I love the show too: singing and dancing--I live for that stuff.

WOrking out like crazy at Zen Studio. So far, it is great--my workouts are killer and the price is right. However, biking up Knox Mnt has had its consequences. WHen I biked up the other mountain last summer, I used Mist's bike. I have been using my own up Knox and the bike seat has got to go! I have worn my tail bone skin out--scraped right off and it is bleeding (in this case it was lace on underpants rubbing). But also, the seat has caused considerable pain unlike any I've experienced in the past. I guess its the hard core biking straight up hill that puts one in new and uncomfortable positions on a bike seat.

Watched a few classsic David Bowie music vidieos tonight. I must say, I am still competely smitten. I just love his art. He is so cool.

I've completely taken over our finances. Finally! I always resisted, believing I am too busy and since Peter has made the major income--I would wait until I brought in money and then take over the budget. However, it was hog-wash--one cannot be truly atonomous unless one is CEO of their own finances. It is very Buddhist actually--to be aware, present and emotionally unattatched to one's money. 

Being a student is very expensive and we need a new dishwasher ASAP as well as hard wood to replace cat-pee carpets. How shall this new CEO manage? More debit most likely :(

Happy Little Women

Pip & Friends.
A most difficult weekend with rain and parenting struggles.
My main focus as a mother of three daughters has been to promote the philosophy at home that they live in a woman's world, but also the world is there's to discover: the earth is their playground. I know the rude, harsh reality of the world will hit them--astound them--that hey, some people out there actually believe this is a man's world!?!
But I believe a solid upbringing will prepare them for tackling any obstacles that come their way. I promote this philosophy in any ways. A simple way is that I have always changed the protagonists names in children's books to female names (believe me, the vast majority are always male--I venture to say 98%). More difficult tasks involve me finding whatever it is they want to try--no matter how impossible the task. If they want to try fencing for example--I will go to the ends of the earth to find a place that will teach them fencing. Also, I always allow them to go and do anything with friends, if I deem the experience will give them new opportunities to explore and new experiences (as long as the activities are relatively safe). Quite simply, I seldom say no to anything. Why say no if I can find a way to manage it?
However, this style has its consequences. Suddenly, children grow into teens who have a huge sense of entitlement to pleasure seeking activities and demand that I find a way to make their desires happen.
It is hard to see the boundaries and set them in the case of my kids because they are gifted in school and socially well adjusted. They are happy, healthy and seldom cause me any concern. This is why it is so easy to say yes, yes and yes! Why put restrictions on their fun when they are great kids?
Why indeed. I had my first wake-up call this past weekend. Behavior from a daughter that was not up to snuff--selfish, spoiled, careless and tantrum like behavior. So perhaps this is why one needs to say no more often. Not because the child has issues--but because the child doesn't.
I shower my children with love, freedom to explore, and safety when they are very young. The next step I have only begun to learn, but I think it goes something like this: at approximately 12-13, the focus needs to change to accommodate the teachings of the middle-way--self imposed limits that guide one through adulthood. Not too much and not to little--the balance that keeps one grounded. Buddhism to the rescue!
Yes, one has a trunk of biases from one's past that shape how and why we parent. Sometimes I parent too much in response to areas I felt were lacking in my upbringing. I think back to the confused young woman I was in my twenties and I don't wish that on my daughters. Can we teach our daughters to be confident and quite autonomous in their youth? I am trying. I have dedicated my entire adult life to this task: to raise confident, autonomous and happy little women. And another difficult task is to try and do this (seamlessly) with a partner--their dad. Being on the same page as the father is not an easy task. And what's even harder is trying to appear on the same page "a united front" for the children's sake when at times we're not even reading the same book!
Wish me luck. I have three little women counting on the success of this philosophy!

PS completed my first morning at Zen Studio and Knox Mnt. biking. Man oh man--I am feeling it in exhaustion--that was one wicked workout to do at 6am on an empty stomach.

Critical & Creative Confusion

Little Pip at the ranch.
UBCO web site had the wrong course number advertised. Thus I registered for the wrong course. Awaiting info from prof of my missed class (the right course). I hope I didn't miss too much. So, actually I missed my first class and have yet to officially start.
Bored tonight. Should have went out. But Mist is at a sleep over party at a friend's and Tabs was home with a tummy virus today so I felt I should stay home for the evening. Peter has tucked himself in early for the night. He goes to bed super early and gets up super early. Maybe I will sign up for salsa lessons after all. At least that way, I'll have company when I'm up in the evenings on weekends. Originally I thought I had no time on weekends for any leisure--the course I mistakenly signed up for (critical theory rather than creative theory) was going to be a lot of work--reading. So I panicked and thought my weekend evenings were shot--I had to stay home and read. Let's hope the creative theory isn't quite as much reading.
A lovely afternoon--took Pip and Tabs to the rec centre park to play as Tabs had much improved. I love getting out with my girls. They are always such good company.
Mist seems pleased with grade 9--although she wishes she had more close friends in band.
Tabs loves her new teacher and is in a 5/6 split (she's a 5).
Pip is looking forward to starting preschool 3 mornings a week. She drew a picture of herself today: hiking in the rain and about to climb up a huge mountain by herself! She is so very, very dear--while on a walk yesterday (she in her stroller and I pushing) she casually said, "So Mom, did you love Malaysia?" We hadn't talked about Malaysia in weeks, perhaps months. So I was surprised at her line of questioning. I said, "Yes, I did. It was very beautiful and exciting to see the jungles. I wouldn't want to live there for a long time, but it was fun visiting." She then said, "But you loved your curly hair, didn't you mom?"
I said, "Yes, Pip, you're right. I loved that my hair went so curly in Malaysia."

Okanagan Ranch Country

More pics from our Labour Day at O'Keefe Ranch.

Back to the fall. How did it arrive so soon? It seems like I only just arrived home from Asia last week. I am so missing the bliss of summer.
Back to classes at Uni for me. I am a student once again. Back to no more leisure time.  It is the first week back for myself and my girls--not just school, but Tap dance, figure skating x2, piano x2, soccer, and choir. Not to mention that I am feeling totally overwhelmed by my duties as head master of this crew and have put my own aspirations of taking latin dance on hold until next spring. The only thing I must fit in to my schedule aside from Uni work and working out is meditation on Mondays at The Yoga House and I would like to add one yoga class to my routine. As it exist now, my work out routine for the fall is this:
-Zen Studio weight lifting 3x/week (my new home gym)
-running 3x/week.
-biking up Knox Mnt. 2x/week until it snows and then spinning.
-Sunday Knox Mnt. hike from top to bottom to top again.
-Down Hill skiing on the weekend once it snows would be nice. And skating on our local pond too.
(skiing is hard to accomplish with our crew as it is hard to find a free weekend day and just getting us all suited up in equipment is a challenge. The expense is an issue too. Also, it will be Pip's first year on skis).
I am already suffering from grey sky syndrome. I thought my light lamp was for October to March. But if this gloomy week is any indication, I may need to get it fired up early.

O'Keefe Ranch and All that Jazz

Labor Day at O' Keefe Ranch this afternoon. Attempted to attend the Armstrong Fair only to arrive as everyone was departing. Yesterday was the last day.
O'Keefe Ranch was fun despite the rain. We loved dressing up. These pics were taken with Tabs' camera and unfortunately it was set wrong so all the pics are super overexposed.
Our last day of summer vacation--weep....weep... I'm not big on the back to school routine; so many activities, so much driving, early to bed, so early to rise....I want my babies with their mama. But alas, I am not into home schooling, so to school they must go.
Biked down Knox mountain and up to the top this morning. I had no time to try out my new gym, Zen Studio. Now, my upper back is out--I popped a rib out and it is pressing on a nerve--moving heavy furniture this weekend.
The change of seasons is always so stressful and bitter sweet. I think I would rather live near the equator and not have to endure al the change each year--each season would blissfully blend into the next without me batting an eyelash.
However, I know how blessed I am that my ancestors had the guts to immigrate to North America. I live like a queen compared to the rest of the world: health care, education, clean environment, wild spaces, political and religious freedom, material comforts, healthy and abundant food, clean water.
Yes, my turn to cook: vegetarian Thai peanut and noodle dish. Better get at it.

We Don't Need No Water--Let it Burn, Let it Burn!

Peter took this of the girls.

Why is life like a roof on fire? Stress. Relationships are confusing, complicated and exhausting. I think that the longer you are in a relationship--the more complicated it becomes. Peter and I have been together all of our adult lives--we've essentially gown up together. We met at twenty and have never been apart since (except for the year I went to Fashion Design school in Toronto, and for a few months here and there over the years because of work).

I am at Starbucks blogging. I am waiting for Tabs. She is at a birthday party  until 2:15 at an art studio. I am taking this time to read the text readings for my first class on Critical Theory which starts Wednesday. I LOVE philosophy. Talking, reading and writing about it is like trying to piece together a fabulous puzzle on life.
I have so many errands to do today: applying for things, paying for things etc. etc.
Went on a big hike this am. I did not feel 100% on the hike. Perhaps I am harboring some intestinal problem from Malyasia. Or perhaps I am always harboring an intestinal bug that flares up when I'm feeling much stress.
My gym IQuest went bankrupt in August but no one bothered to tell me. The workers have been opening the gym as volunteers to work with their clients. Everyday it's been business as usual, "Hi Melissa...bye Melissa" No one bothered to tell me that, "Hey, the gym is bankrupt, we're just here until the building owner liquidates the equipment and sells the building."
Needless to say, my home gym is gradually taking shape. I will do my very best on a very limited budget. I will purchase a much desired "dual cable cross" machine as soon as I am making an income-- I can get a second hand one for about $1500.
Mist is at the Armstrong Fair today with her buddy Ashley.
When I left to drive Tabs, Peter and Pip were playing "Go Fish" on the chesterfield.
Watched Eat, Pray, Love last night with Peter, Miranda and John. I really enjoyed it--liked it better than the book as I found the protagonist came across as super self indulgent and immature in the book but less so in the movie. Julia Roberts, like all actresses of our time, is super botoxed.

Rock Hounding at Lac Du Bois

Peter  and Fernando. The area was central to the Hudson Bay Fur Brigade Trail over 125 years ago. In fact the trail crosses through Lac Du Bois. Gold mining was big in the area too. Tranquille Creek flows through the valley into the Thompson at Kamloops Lake--we're going to gold pan along the creek one of these weekends. There were many French Canadian Fur traders in the area and thus many place names in the Thompson region of British Columbia are French.

Pockets full of rocks.

What's that I see? Could my Fernando be limping? Oh no, a cacti caught in his paw again!

Following his dad up the hill proved to be a mistake. Fernando stepped on yet another cacti!

Home sweet home. In a past life I must have lived in this environment. I feel so comfortable on the land.

Difficulties building a home gym. Equipment is thousands of dollars. I need a great upper pully to do woodchops. They are one of my favorite exercises. Most pulley systems aren't long enough to do a decent woodchop--nor do they provided the right weights to do the job properly. They are either too light or way too heavy...but I am determined to make it work without sacrificing my fitness level. I found a great spin bike for a great price online. I will order that and then gradually piece together a gym.
Long weekend ahead. Plans pending. I need to read a text for Wednesday's class sometime.
Went out to Joey's with Peter last night after a quick trip to Peachland to check out some used gym equipment. It was nice to stop at Joey's--I hadn't been there in awhile.
Excited that finally Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy are shipping out of Canada. One can buy online in Canadian dollars and shipping is free on orders over $50. I really should get paid for advertising that tidbit. Old Navy makes slim jeans for kids, which are hard to find. The jeans fit Tabs and Mist very well--although perhaps this year the legs will be too short for Mist.

Thompson River Valley, British Columbia

A picnic on the way to fossil hunting. Could there be a more beautiful view?

Good ideas are born from frustration. Case in point: IQuest--my gym. Again a sign on the door--open at 8:30. Again I had to drive home, missing my workout. I took Fernando on a run up the back of the mountain in the rain instead. However, Ground-Floor Fitness up the street has inspired me ( Miranda and John have a home gym they recently installed). I am seriously determined to outfit my retro rumpus room with gym equipment. I don't need much. I figure it will pay for itself in a year. That way, I can spend the extra time and money taking yoga and latin dance. I believe I will love to get my weight lifting done fast and conveniently in my home before I start my day. I love my current workout--it is killer and efficient. I'll need to go shopping for the equipment I'll need to best replicate my existing workout. I won't miss the gym socializing as my gym is always empty at 6 am when I go and there's never any eye-candy :P

Mist has Web training each morning--she applied to be a school leader this year and they're training them at the school this week before school officially starts next week.
I start my MFA classes next week too!

Peter and I took our darling poopsies to "Return of Nanny McPhee"last night. All was enjoyable except I left my purse at the theatre. After returning home, I realized it. Thank G the theatre kids are honest people. It was there, waiting in the office on my return.

Rain, rain go away...