Journey & Adventure

I don’t know what has gotten into me today, but I am exhausted – mentally and physically. The simple thought of walking to my car tonight after work is exhausting me. I’m thinking it’s the weather as it’s been grey, dreary and raining for a few days now. Yesterday was our first warm day / night of the year. It is so nice to have the windows open at night and listen to the sounds of the frogs croaking and rain coming down. It’s not so nice once stupid dogs start to incessantly bark somewhere in the distance. If I could only figure out where… The pace at work continues at a rapid speed. I guess it’s a good thing because my days flash by like lightning. It would be nice to actually know what day of the week it is though. My sister-in-law is coming home for a visit from Ireland this week. J and I will head to Toronto to pick her up from the airport on Saturday. It will be nice to see her, but alas – I’ll have to forgo my nap that day. *sigh* On the upside, it’s ...

I wanted to wish all of my American blogger friends a very Happy Thanksgiving. I'm so jealous of all the turkey leftovers you will be enjoying - for the next few days. Enjoy!

J and I have just returned from our trip to Bocas Del Toro, Panama. Our one week trip allowed us to experience a little of what this island has to offer. We mixed pleasure, with business, as we were after all trying to get a lay of the land and to see if this place could be in the running as a retirement destination. I’m happy to report that it’s still in the running. We may just need to adjust our expectations a little. Some of the Pros included - Beautiful Beaches; Friendly People; Warm Weather; Cheap Adult Beverages; Affordable Real Estate; Relaxed Atmosphere... Some of the Cons included – a lot of rain (it is a rainforest after all); not many options for household shopping; no potable water – all drinkable water needed to be purchased; not a lot to do, except relax (this is also a Pro, but long term I would likely need a little bit of something, something to keep me engaged). I'll try to collect my thoughts a little more and expand on the above Pros and Con...

Yes, it’s ALMOST that time of year again. Time for me rejuvenate and store up on some sunshine and vitamin D before the long winter ahead. It’s time for me to pack my bags and scuba gear and head off to a place where memories are made, good times are had and the ocean is explored. For some, Disney is the happiest place on earth, but for me it’s Bonaire. You may recall this is one of my contenders for places to retire, so J and I plan on using this opportunity to do some more research into the actual cost of living, average cost of vehicles, neighborhoods, etc. Five years is still a long way off, but at least we’ll be getting an idea of how expensive things actually are. I can hardly wait to get there and park myself at the beach bar for a beverage or two - for a live webcam view of it, take a look here .  Maybe you'll see me there (in a week and a bit)... Here are a few photos of the island from vacations past… By the way - all of the above photos are cour...

Happy Belated Canada Day to my Canadian readers; and Happy Independence Day (Tomorrow) to my American readers; and Happy Battle of the Boyne Day (on Thursday) to my Nothern Ireland readers. I’m not even sure that I have any Irish followers or what the holiday is even about, but I see it’s on my calendar, so it must be worth celebrating. Enjoy! Today is my first day back to work after an extra long four day weekend. I’m struggling to say the least and while I love the extra days off, sometimes it’s just not worth the punishment of having to get back into the work groove. J and I spent a good portion of the day on Friday, taking an extra, extra long stroll on the beach. There just something about sunshine, water and sand that makes all your worries disappear. Even if the feeling was short-lived, at least the cobwebs were temporarily removed from my brain. As with much of North America, we are in the midst of a heat wave. I’m not complaining about ...

It’s a long weekend here in Canada – Victoria Day. In celebration of Queen Victoria’s birthday, which I don’t think is actually on the 21st of May, but who am I to complain…it’s a long weekend. I’ll take them when I can get them. My weekend plans consist of working in the garden planting some more perennials and laying down mulch, continuing to work in the spare room and of course, working on my tan since the weather is supposed to be fantastic. J and I are also planning on going to the drive-in (yes, we still have a few of them here in Canada). Our plan is to see the Avengers and whatever else might be playing. I was really hoping to see Battleship as well, but I’m not lucky enough for two blockbusters to be playing on the same drive-in screen. And if time and energy permits, we may head out for a long walk on the beach. It will be our first beachcombing outing of the year and I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of beach glass and other treasures I can find. What...

People say – “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” I say – “Absence makes you wonder why you didn’t stay away longer.” Yes, I’m back. It’s good to be home, but it’s not so good to be back at work and back to reality. Reality is overrated. I know, I know...enough of my bemoaning the fact that my vacation is over. We arrived home late in the evening on my birthday, March 31st. We left the Philippines on my birthday.  I had two whole days of birthdays thanks to the International Date Line. It was the longest birthday of my life, but thank goodness, I didn’t age twice.  That would NOT have been cool. This time around, jet lag caught up to me with a vengeance. It’s now Wednesday, April 04, 2012 and I’m just starting to function again. Thank goodness it’s a short work week – Good Friday is a Godsend (pardon that horrible pun). I hope to finally get some pictures downloaded from my camera tonight and put together some thoughts from our trip, which I hope to share w...

Wow, it’s Thursday already.   I guess that’s what you can expect when Monday is a holiday and then Tuesday was a “sick” day and Wednesday was a catch up day at work from my “sick” day and then suddenly Thursday is upon me and it’s also pay day!      Tomorrow is Friday and then it’s the weekend.   Oh Yeah!!! *insert random dancing here*   Thanksgiving with my dad was fantastic.   We had a great time visiting and the weather was beyond anything we can typically expect in Canada this time of year.     I certainly didn’t expect to be wearing shorts and t-shirts all weekend.   I actually had to shave my legs in October – wow!   As with any holiday, the downside is the extra tonnage that creeps upon my thighs while I’m sleeping.     I can’t explain it – I purposely avoided regular beer this weekend.     Could it possibly have been the multiple pieces of pumpkin pie with whipped cream?   Nahhh…...

I hope you had a fantastic holiday weekend...I know I did.  I also had a long weekend with our Canada Day being on Friday.

This was my favorite poem as a child.   My mother used to read it to me on Christmas Eve.   I used to have it memorized.   Then when The Boy was younger, I would read it to him.   He used to have it memorized too. Twas the Night Before Christmas Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there. The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads. And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap, Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap. When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash. The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below. When, what to m...

Photo Courtesy of J - Bonaire, 2009

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO MY CANADIAN FRIENDS!

I’m back from my brief holiday in Arizona and am missing it already.  J and I spent 4 days in Sedona and an additional 2 in Phoenix.  Both cities were fantastic, but each held its own specialness about it. Having lived briefly in Phoenix in 2000, I knew what to expect with the heat, desert terrain, shopping and the people; however I wasn’t prepared for the breathtaking beauty of Sedona and its laid back vibe. Highlights of Sedona Hiking – I didn’t consider myself a hard core “hiker” before this trip, but considered myself more of a “stroller”.  I tend to like to take my time walking, gawking and talking.  At least I did.  After successfully completing a climb up the side of Doe Mountain (on a mountain goat path) and experiencing the vastness and remoteness of the 8 miles West Fork Trail, I’m 100% hard core.  It was challenging, but fun and I lived to tell the tale (even though I swore I was going to die on that m...

It’s Friday – Yippee!! Yesterday was a holiday here in Canada and with that came a day off.  The sucky part of that - I had to come back to work for one stinking day.  The suckier part of that – there is no one here today except for my boss and a handful of other people.  I guess at least some people had the smarts to take today as a vacation day.  The suckiest part of all – I’m not one of those people.  Damn my need to save my vacation days for actual trips out of my lovely country in the dead of winter. J worked yesterday (has today off in lieu of the holiday) and The Boy has finally secured a summer job, so I had the house to myself.  It was VERY nice to have some alone time.  I think that last day I had the house to myself was in 2003 (no lie). Queen Elizabeth II is coming to the city where I work on Monday.  Yep, she is actually taking a tour of a Research in Motion facility, which happens to be down...

Why can’t every day feel like a holiday? Why can’t every day have a $2 happy hour? Why can’t every day - be a day spent at the beach? I’m back at work.  Am I happy about it?  No. On my commute into work this morning, I had an overwhelming urge to turn my car around and simply drive back home and go back to bed.  I was prepared to tempt fate.  I doubt I would be fired for one day of truancy, but secretly hoped that I would be.  Of course, I would be devastated to be unemployed, but it might just be the kick in the pants I need to motivate me to do something else with my life.   Don’t get me wrong, I don’t WANT it to happen but I’m just saying…if it did…it might not be such a bad thing.

Today is a holiday here in Ontario, Canada - it's Family Day.  This is a newly formed holiday - last year was the first.  I'm not complaining, it's obviously great to have a paid day off in February and as the names goes, it's meant for families.   So here I sit with my family, sharing quality time, watching a wholesome family movie - Zombieland.  Nothing says family like the undead.

Today is my last day of work before the holidays. Until Tuesday next week, it will be nothing but family, family, more family and the freakin History Channel. God knows there is nothing on television over the holiday season... I love my family, but I'm not sure how much I can possible stand of them (or the History Channel) before I entirely flip-out. I guess only time will tell... Good luck to those that are also spending time with family members that drive you crazy...I'll be feeling your pain.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN.... Have fun, be safe...

Just a photo today ... This photo was taken of a friendly pelican on Bonaire in November, 2008. Bonaire just happens to be where I'll be headed again in a mere 2 months, 30 days and 5 hours, 20 minutes (not that I'm keeping track or anything) with 28 of my closest friends... As with all my photos, this one is courtesy of J.

I have a friend that unexpectedly lost her high-paying, high profile job in October, 2008. Given that she was the major bread winner in the family and he was self-employed with little to no income, friends and family were extremely concerned for their well-being and offers of financial assistance poured in. Soon afterwards, it was revealed that she and her husband had a mortgage in excess of $300,000 and she had credit card debt in excess on $60,000, plus loans for a car and motorcycle. I realize that everyone gets in over their head from time to time, but would like to believe that most of us would see this unfortunate turn of events as a sign that perhaps we need to reevaluate our spending habits and maybe make cutbacks to our existing lifestyles – particularly in light of the economy. Such has not been the case. She (not her husband) has taken no less than 5 vacations within the last 9 months and I’m not talking about mini-weekend getaways. I’m talking full-fledged Caribbean an...