Not-So-Random Observation

Loading up the car before leaving on vacation sucks when you live on the top floor of a 3-storey walk-up building.

Summer Vacation

D. and I booked our accommodations for our upcoming trip to New Brunswick: three nights camping on a cliff's edge in Grand Manan, NB, and one night at a swanky boutique hotel in Old Quebec city.

We've got two weeks off. We're kicking off the holiday with the Savoie family bash, then planning to spend a few nights at Mom & Dad's. It's D's first time in NB during the summer so I'm looking forward to showing him the local scenery.

After Mom & Dad's, it's off to catch the 90 minute ferry to Grand Manan where we'll be Cliff Edge camping with an ocean view. From the campground's Web site:

"You will be beside the feeding route of whales and in the night you would listen, or may be awakened, as they blow and breach. Sometimes their singing breaks through the ocean surface below you."

Next it's a stopover for a little more luxury in Old Quebec city and then it's back home for a second week of rest, relaxation and whatever tickles our fancy.

Family, adventure, luxury and relaxation - sounds like a perfect summer vacation to me!

Local Food = Fresh Food

Last night I washed potatoes that were so fresh I could still smell the earth from which they were harvested. I guess that's just one of the perks of buying my food from local sources. Lucky me. :)

Simplify, Simplify

"Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify."
- Henry David Thoreau

I finally took the time to flip my calendar page to July and this quote greeted me. I've always been a fan of Thoreau.

Yesterday was a much needed restful, lazy day. I had no plans. I had intentions, but I let them go. D. and I spent a quiet day at his place planning our upcoming vacation and dreaming about the future. Then we ordered pizza, watched Psycho and took Cassie for a walk. It doesn't get much simpler than that.

Next Movie on the Beach: Ghostbusters!

Voters have chosen - the next free BOB FM Movie on the Beach will be Ghostbusters! Mark your calendars for Friday, July 13th.

From BOB FM's Web site:

"The screening at Westboro Beach is a free family event so pack up the kids, lawn chairs, blankets and snacks and make your way to the beach to see a movie under the stars...it's a drive-in...without the cars. Limited parking on site but alternative parking can be easily accessed off Lanark Ave off Churchill, where you'll have a short walk under the Ottawa River Parkway beach path to Westboro Beach."

Last week a few guys showed up carrying a futon to enjoy the show in comfort. I might bring my pillow next time - and more snacks. :)

Hope to see you there!

Vision

Webster's definition
n 1: something seen otherwise than by ordinary sight (as in a dream or trance) 2: a vivid picture created by the imagination 3: the act or power of imagination 4: unusual wisdom in foreseeing what is going to happen 5: the act or power of seeing: SIGHT 6: something seen; esp: a lovely sight

Steph's definition
n 1: a desired outcome or future state that can be used to guide current choices, ideally created in one's mind with the help of one's intuition, unfettered by constraints related to figuring out its practicality or how it can be attained

In 2002 or 2003, I penned a Vision of where I wanted to be in the next five years: living in the country happily married to my husband, working out of my home surrounded by colourful, bountiful gardens, operating an artist's studio built out of straw bales and stucco. Now approaching the five-year mark, I live in an apartment downtown, work in a cubicle for the government, and am about to start a process to divorce said husband. Hm.

I'm a little gun-shy of penning another 5-year Vision, but I still think it's important. I believe that having a clear Vision of where I'd like to be, combined with discipline and an openness to what the Universe has to offer me, will enhance my chances of making it real.

My sabbatical has come and gone. I'm back to work. I'm on the cusp of divorce and slowly letting go of the past. I'm nurturing wonderful new relationships with friends and loved ones. Maybe it's time to release all constraints and imagine myself at my best, five years from now. Maybe it's time to put pen to paper again and embrace what could be.