Passing the time

So I’m here in Toronto feeling pretty good about life. I may not have it all (okay, even a fraction of it all), but as I’m listening to this fantastic song by someone who I don’t know until I looked the artist up - the cd was a gift – one of the lines continues to run through my head….and it goes like this…”There’s hope, cause it doesn’t cost a thing to laugh, yeah there’s hope”.  Thus, becuase I knew I could never remember all of it I went out and found the lyrics thus allowing me to share it with everyone else because they are really good lyrics….and the song is very catchy also.

Lyrics to There’s Hope :
Two, one, two, one, two, two, two, one
(there’s hope)
two,one,two,one,two,two,two,one
(ther’s hope)
two,one,two,one,two,two,two,one
(the india arie)

Back when I had a little,I thought that i needed alot. A little was over rated, but alot was a little to complicated. See zero didn’t satisfiy me , a million didn’t make me happy. That’s when I learned the lesson that its all about your perceptions. Hey, are you a papa or a super star so you act ,so you feel, so you are. It aint about the size of your car, It’s about the size of the faith in your heart

There’s hope. It doesn’t cost a thing to smile, you dont have to pay to laugh, you better thank God for that.There’s hope. It doesn’t cost a thing to smile, you dont have to pay to laugh, you better thank God for that. There’s hope

Off in the back country of Brazil, I met a young brotha that made me feel that, that i could accomplish anything. Ya see just like me he wanted to sing he had, NO windows and NO doors, he lived a simple life and was extremely poor. On top of all that he had no eye sight, but that didnt keep him from seeing the light he said, Whats it like in the USA, and all I did was complain. he said living here is paradise, he taught me paradise is in your mind,you know that ….

There’s hope. It doesn’t cost a thing to smile, you dont have to pay to laugh, you better thank God for that.There’s hope. It doesn’t cost a thing to smile, you dont have to pay to laugh, you better thank God for that. There’s hope

Every time i turn on the t.v ( there’s hope)
Somebody’s acting crazy (there’s hope)
If you let it’ll drive you crazy (there’s hope)
But im taking back my power today (ther’s hope)
Gas prices they just keep on rising(there’s hope)
The government they keep on lying (there’s hope)
But we gotta keep on surving, keep living our truth and do the best we can do because

There’s hope. It doesn’t cost a thing to smile, you dont have to pay to laugh, you better thank God for that.( Yea yea ).There’s hope. It doesn’t cost a thing to smile, you dont have to pay to laugh, you better thank God for that. (Yea yea yea) There’s hope

Stand up for your rights, Keeping shining your life, and show the world your smile

Stand up for your rights, Keeping shining your life, and show the world your smile

There’s hope. It doesn’t cost a thing to smile, you dont have to pay to laugh, you better thank God for that.( Better thank God for that) .There’s hope. It doesn’t cost a thing to smile, you dont have to pay to laugh, you better thank God for that. Yea yeaThere’s hope

Two, one, two, one, two, two, two, one
{Repeat til song fades away..}

(Thanks to Marcia for these lyrics)
[ There's Hope Lyrics on http://www.lyricsmania.com/ ]

These lyrics really touched me in that sometimes I am the worst in remembering to be thankful for all that I have. So although I might not have it all in one sense, in another I really do have it all and for that I’m very appreciative.

The past two weeks saw me coming off an intense audit trip and then turning around quickly to head out on vacation. It was wonderful to spend time with my extended family who I hadn’t seen since the previous Christmas.  My nieces and nephew are growing like weeds and are amazingly busy with school, after school activities, social activities and of course the normal daily chores and routine of country life.

I spent a week rotating between my parents house, my sisters house and my grandmothers house..then an additional 3 days with my aunt in MN. I must admit I took advantage of having people around to try out a few new recipes (garlic mushroom steak with sour cream and Parmesan cheese mashed potatoes, mixed vegetable beef stew with honey corn bread, Swedish meatballs with egg noodles) and took special requests from those who had a craving for some comfort food (beef stroganoff, grilled brats and potato salad, fudge meltaway bars). It is so much easier to cook for 3-4 people than it is for just one.

One of the best things about visiting the family is taking out my favorite bike and going for leisurely rides on the country roads. Cty Rd “A” in particular – 15 miles of beautiful bluffs, artisan springs, a winding river twisting its way alongside the road and the stectacular sight of leaves changing from summer green to the splendor of the fall orange, yellow, golds and browns. I honestly thought I was going to be to early to see any foliage changes but lucky for me they had already begun to change.

Although the visit went by quickly it was a wonderful time to reconnect with family, take some great photos of the kids and to remember that life while busier is still simpler out in the country.

The holiday weekend saw Tricha and I departing for San Jose, CA early Friday evening for a classic road trip adventure across the United States (or at least to Dallas, TX).  After a nice flight into San Jose via Denver, CO we picked up Tricha’s truck from short term parking and headed down to Gilroy to check into our motel room. 

After catching a few hours sleep we headed out at 7:20am to have breakfast with Tricha’s parents and at that point the adventure took a new turn as we discovered that we had a flat tire. Thank goodness for AAA!  While the tire was being repaired in Gilroy, Tricha’s parents, Tricha and myself all adjourned to the Big Bear Diner for a wonderful breakfast with Northern sized portions. After collected the truck from the tire shop we once again hit the road with the goal of putting some miles behind us before any more “adventures” came our way.

By mid-afternoon on Saturday we were on the south side of Bakersfield, CA and we saw a fresh fruit farm that looked interesting so we decided to stop and check out the sites. Actually we just really liked their water tower – so we though we would stretch our legs for a few minutes.

 -There should be pictures of us at the fruit farm here but unfortunately the system isn’t cooperating-

So after sampling some of the best grapes, peaches, melons and raspberries ever, we once again hit the road for the next leg of the jaunt. Many ipod songs later and a few stops for gas we crossed the boarder into AZ and we kept on rolling, rolling, rolling. We then crossed the boarder into NM where after a few more hours (think 3am) we arrived at our destination for the evening in Grants, NM. Then we slept the sleep of the truly exhausted.

The next morning we decided to head into Bernalillo (just 13 miles north of Alguquerque, NM) to check out their wine festival. And what a time we had….

–there should be 4 pictures of us enjoying the festival here – once again technology isn’t going my way–

We sampled wines from at least 8 different vineyards and had some of the best chicken tacos every. Also we sampled a variety of things infused with garlic – everything from goat cheese to jerky. Additionally a favorite find for both of us that day was the Hot Sweet Green Chile spread – delicious, delicious. I plan on serving it over cream cheese with crackers and a nice sauvignon blanc. So good!

We also had the delightful experience of a mid-afternoon thundershower which completely drenched us but didn’t deter us from continuing to enjoy the festival – we weren’t the only ones sans umbrella.

–More pictures go here!–

Well after dragging ourselves away from the festival – as we both decided that if we were to have a hope of reaching Dallas before work on Tuesday we had better get moving – we once again merged onto I-40 and watched the miles pass by, saw another beautiful sunset and continued to sing along with the ipods as the scenery slipped on and on.

Sunday evening/Monday morning saw us pulling into Abiline, TX at 2:30am for a few hours sleep and the satisfying knowledge that we were only a few hours out from Dallas.

Monday morning we left Albiline at 9am and safely reached Dallas by 12:30pm. We unloaded the truck and after a few minutes to sit still we headed off to the next adventure which was a window shopping trip to IKEA. Window shopping quickly became “real shopping” as we picked out bedroom, kitchen and bathroom furnishings for Tricha’s new place. After loading up and tying down everything including the mattress in the back of Tricha’s truck we then drove back to my place and unloaded everything into my apartment.

At the end of the day – all I can say is Whew – what a weekend! All in all it was a fantastic time – Tricha and I are still talking to each other and on Wednesday we will move all of Tricha’s new apartment items out of my place and into her new place just a few doors down from my place.  

Road trips are so much fun – especially when you have fun people with which to travel – Thanks Tricha for the fun memories – some great pictures - and the opportunity to see New Mexico and Arizona (although Arizona was dark the entire time we passed through it )

The past couple of weeks have been insanely busy with traveling for work, work changes and normal personal life stuff. But the time spent in Canada was beautiful (While Montreal I love – Toronto and the surrounding areas are also really nice) and the weather stayed a balmy 70 plus the entire time. The Toronto natives said that this season has been really rainy but as someone who likes the rain – the mid afternoon showers were a nice break from the intense Texas heat.

While in Toronto these past few weeks I also had the opportunity to run down to Buffalo, NY to take part in a friend’s wedding  – So once again I have another pretty dress hanging in my closet and some wonderful memories of the evening spent dancing, talking and of course more dancing! There might have been adult beverage or two consumed during the course of the evening – but I admit to nothing.

Wedding fun

Additionally, this particular wedding had two of the cutest flower girls and a ring bearer who kept us all in stiches throughout the evening as he tried to avoid dancing with the flower girls who were relentlessly pursuing him.

Flower Girls and Ring Bearer

Such drama – things are changing left and right at the establishment with is so gracious as to provide me with a paycheck every two weeks.  Needless to say – I’m currently in a holding pattern as far as seeking new employment. Especially as a request was made that I hold off until things settle down. So things are still tense but in a holding pattern - which while not perfect isn’t bad either.

Favorite song of the moment - ”The Winner Takes It All” from the Mamma Mia soundtrack – the beat is great – the lyrics interesting and lets face it – haven’t we all felt that way at some point in out lives? Ok, I felt that way this morning but nonetheless, it is a great song. Benny Andersoon & Bjorn Ulvaeus knew what they were doing when they were composing.

Well, I’m back in Toronto again, there was a huge propane explosion in Toronto this morning which resulted in the 401 being shut down all day causing sever traffic delays as everyone was trying to find alternate routes around the city. Thankfully it only took me a little over an hour to reach the hotel (it usually takes 20 minutes) so not to bad overall. The best news is that although the blast could be felt for up to 7km away there was only 1 fatality. So thank goodness for that blessing.

Aside from that life looks like it is going to be hectic for the next few weeks – lots of thinking to do, work to do, and working out to be done (it is the only thing keeping me sane these days!).

Take care till I have a spare moment to breathe! I’ll post as I’m able.

Last night I attended a wonderful function with the Nosejoy Wine Club in Plano, TX.  We sampled a huge variety of wines, enjoyed some wonderful food and participated in some boisterous conversation.  The venue was a small club in old Plano – just 15 minutes from my house.

This was the first visit to the Nosejoy Wine Club-I initially heard of them through some friends at Landon Winery in McKinney, TX and after hearing their rave reviews of the 5 course meal and accompanying wines I decided to check it out myself.  I am so happy that I did! This event was titled “Stay away from the Red Light district” and it featured the cuisine from Amsterdam – traditional German fare with a contemporary twist. And the wines were all from regions in Central Europe. All in all a wonderful time and I’ll be going back again the next time I’m in town!

This week has been filled high points and low points:

High point: Worked out 6 of 6 days thus far this week – Yeah me!

Low point: Ate out 4 of 6 days this week – poor pocketbook

High point: Watched the evening rain fall as I sat on my patio enjoying an adult beverage

Low point: Work stress – re upper management (situation still unresolved)

High point: Found a terrific birthday gift for a friend of mine whose birthday is this Saturday – I would love to receive it myself. Someone once said that you should never give a gift you wouldn’t want to have yourself. I think that is GREAT advice. Now if only others had my great taste

Low point: Being a creative bee for the week. Who knew the creative process was so ridiculously difficult? Needless to say a project I’m working on is 1,000 times more difficult than I ever anticipated simply due to the fact that while I can enjoy the end result of an individuals creative process (design, video, photography, art, music, etc) I cannot be enthused about the process by which the art is created. Free flowing thought, random association and seeing underlying connections – these are the things of my nightmares. Not opportunities for expression. I would be more than happy to cheer someone on as THEY go about the creative process, I can be enthusiastic about the quality of the finished product, I can appreciate all they went through to complete their masterpiece – but – I don’t want to have anything to do with the creative process myself. It sucks.  In the end, I’m a great worker bee. I would have been the person running out to procure paints for Monet, not painting those beautiful/damn water lilies myself.

And no the project is not done yet….I’m now dreaming about it – these moments though fleeting in the grand scheme of life are dragging on for way to long.

High point: It is Friday!!! I don’t have to work, per se, over the weekend – although there will be work done on the project to be certain. But the great news is that it is due in a week. It will all be over soon!