Canadian Evolution and a long awaited update

Sorry for the long time in between posts.  I am going to try to be more regular from now on.  It isn't like I have been busy but sometimes I just don't feel like dwelling on the situation long enough to write it down.  Sometimes I like just ignoring things.  But I would like to hear from people more so if I want to hear from people then I should make the effort to update you more regularly so you know what is going on.
So I thought I would start with something that is amusing to me and amazing to me.  I am calling this my Canadian evolution.  How has Canada changed me in the last year. 

walking stick on side of house

Well, lets start with bugs.  Yes, bugs.  I am not a fan and living in Colorado (high altitude, very few bugs) has made me a bit wimpy.  Well when we got here in the middle of summer it was bug mania.  I was swatting and jumping and smashing and killing left and right.  I got bit by an earwig, I had mosquito bites everywhere and I was constantly jumping out of the way of the large bees, spiders, snakes and colorful creepy crawlies that we had here.  So how has that changed.  Well, I don't know how it changed but the other day as I was working in the garden, I felt something crawling on my chest and looked down to see a spider crawling inside my shirt...INSIDE...ON MY SKIN...I didn't even jump...I just flicked it off and went on weeding...then I thought about it and I laughed.  Today I was out in the garden again, deadheading my flowers and there were a couple bees that were sharing the same flowers I was working on...I wasn't nervous, I didn't freeze, I just kept on going.  Ok, I did still jump when I picked up my curling iron and there was a spider sitting under it but I got a Kleenex, flushed it down the toilet and curled my hair.  This is from a girl who called Wil to come kill a spider in my bedroom before we were married...lol.  OK, if her were here, I would still call him, cuz I don't like bugs, but I have just become more one with the nature we share.

Heat and humidity,  I love the heat and I don't mind the humidity.  Now don't get me wrong, I love coming inside to cool off in my air conditioned house, but, I really enjoy the heat and I love working in the yard in the heat and humidity and coming in dripping with sweat.  It makes every thing I do seem like twice the work out it really is...lol.  Now, I am reasonable and when it gets up to 40 (104F), I am inside.  But I love it around 25 (77F) with the humidity and whats the best part?  Warm Rain!  I remember playing in the rain in Africa and in Chicago and you just don't do that in Colorado cuz the rain is darn chilly.  But here, I can sit on the porch and listen to it rain, we can play in the rain, we can work in the rain.  It is lovely.  I was born on the ocean and I truly believe that I am meant to be in a warm climate with water nearby.  I do love the colors that come with the heat/humidity and seasons.  It is amazing the brilliance of flowers and plants.  Just beautiful.

There are more things but those are the two that hit me hard last year and this year, I am enjoying or adapting to them.

Now to the family.

Tiana had a great time in Colorado, she stayed with many people, visited lots of old haunts, did a bunch of fun stuff and came back exhausted but refreshed and happy.  She made her first flight by herself with a connecting flight in Philadelphia.  Of course, I was hoping that it would go smoothly but it didn't.  Her flight was delayed and then canceled (they boarded, taxied and then deplaned) and then she was rebooked for 4 hours later.  She was stuck in the Philly airport for about 6 hours by herself.  I was very proud.  She only panicked once and that is because of the poor service from the airline but she calmed right down and did great.  She was back a couple days and then she went to New York with her youth group to a Christian festival called Kingdom Bound.  It was at an amusement park and there were a bunch of Christian concerts and she had a ball.  She is getting her resume together and is going to try to get a part time job to earn some money towards a car since she starts driving this year.

Tabitha came home on Thursday.  She had a great time with her mom from what I hear and she came home with a cute new haircut.  She will be adjusting to the time change for the next little bit but I think she is glad to be home.

School starts for the girls on the Tuesday after Labor Day.  Tiana will be at St. Johns still and Tabitha will stay at SFDCI.  I am hopeful that this school year will be a bit less traumatic as last year but its high school so I am also being realistic.

Wil looking up at radar equipment while his guys are working

Wil is in the Atlantic somewhere.  I hear from him on and off through email.  I wouldn't say regularly...it is sporadic.  They are getting close to their destination (Libya) and he said it is getting more and more stressful the closer they get.  He is dealing with some major equipment issues which has been very frustrating.  He said that he gets one thing fixed and another thing breaks.  This makes his relationship with his boss a bit stressful so he his hoping at the next port when the parts and repair crew gets there that the equipment will get up and running and things will smooth out.  I talked to him on the 31st of July and he sounded exhausted.  Since he is the Head of Department, he is not getting much sleep.  Anytime something goes wrong, which has been alot, he has to be awakened.  This sea tour is a lot different for him and although he is glad for the opportunity and is enjoying parts of it, I think he misses being home more than he thought he would.  That is just my conjecture so I could be wrong, just a gut feeling.  We still don't have a date for him to come home but we are guessing February sometime.  I am not holding my breath.

Me, I am trucking along.  I told the girls my favorite thing about them being gone was that I didn't have to grocery shop or cook.  I also told them that it really showed me how much work they cause and don't help with.  That is going to change. (I hope)  How am I doing?  I am doing...that is all I can say.  I have good days and I have bad days.  The hardest thing is not being able to communicate with Wil on a regular basis.  I miss him terribly.  It is hard not having someone just to chat with on a regular basis.  I am so thankful....soooooo thankful though that this didn't happen last year.  It is hard enough to do it after being settled in, I can't imagine what it would have been like last year.  I am ever thankful for my job.  It gets me out of the house and I get to interact with some wonderful ladies who are a wealth of information for my stupid Canadian questions...lol.  I am excited for the girls to start school and to get back into a routine.  I am trying to start a new habit.  When I get super stressed or angry or frustrated, I go work out or go for a walk, or do something physical.  We will see whether this works but I figure it should be a good thing!

Lizzy is doing pretty well without Molly.  She has lost a lot of weight....I think just from me being able to regulate her food intake.  She was pretty fat which is not healthy for any dog but especially a doxie so she is much healthier now.   I am sure she used to eat some of Molly's.  She comes with me anytime I go for a drive where I am not leaving the car...the bank, dropping the girls here and there, etc.  She has turned into quite the little rider.  She just curls up on the seat and hangs out.  She really likes it when no one is in the front seat.  I miss Molly daily.  She was very special to me.

Simba has gotten quite large on the other hand.  He is a big cat.  I  can't tell if he is fat or just big.  He is a character, a bit of a diva and probably one of the best cats I have ever had.  Although the amount of fur he sheds is just nasty.  I need to brush him more.  One of our favorite things to do is scratch his butt, because he starts licking and when we stop, he stops and it just goes on and on...very funny.  We bought a furminator this morning off of kijiji (like craigs list).  I have been brushing him with it ever since we got home and holy moly...hair just keeps coming off of him.  Piles and piles of it.  I am hoping that it will decrease the amount of hair laying around the house.  He sure is pretty but I will not have a long hair cat again. 

I think that is enough for now.  What do we have coming up.  We have a dinner cruise on the 1000 Islands, we have a Christian concert at a church in Ottawa, and maybe another trip to Niagara to meet with some family.  Yes the holidays, but honestly, I am not really looking forward to them this year...I wouldn't mind just skipping them, but here is what we have Canadian Thanksgiving, Tabithas 15th Birthday, American Thanksgiving, Tiana's 16th birthday, Christmas and our Anniversary.  (woohoo...NOT).

My love you all, I miss you and wish I was closer!