I've got sunshine

7 times out of 10, eating oatmeal for breakfast is not a good choice for me.

Our house is loud every day. Sawing, prying up old hardwood floors, Shop Vac-ing, drilling, banging...I have become really good at taking naps despite the high decibels, but am beginning to understand the appeal of a silent retreat.

The fireworks last night were great. As was the company :)

reno update

The kitchen: drywalled, newly wired. Waiting to receive it's new floor tomorrow.

Our temporary kitchen:

foretold

One of the things I've been doing in preparation for moving to Melbourne is going through the stacks and stacks of paper and souvenirs in my closet. A slow-moving, but sometimes entertaining task.
Yesterday I came across a writing assignment from Mrs. Eadie's grade 6 English class. It's called "Me at 75." The second paragraph starts,

"I live in Australia, I moved here when I was 26, the year I got married."

I couldn't believe it when I read those words. I will hopefully make it back to Melbourne while I"m still 25, but I'm going to be 26 when Hugh and I get married. Let's hope nothing else I imagined comes true, like one of my children dying in "World War III", and singing the national anthem at a Blue Jay's game. What was I thinking? I don't like baseball, or singing in front of people!

renos: stage 1

Do you recognize our kitchen?

No kitchen windows:

Kitchen windows!

change

On Saturday, we celebrated change. A few of my friends threw a lovely bridal shower for me :) Since I can't really pack a lot of gifts to take back to Melbourne with me, my friends made a beautiful scrapbook for me, with lovely things to remind me of them. It feels like a sophisticated and prettier version of a yearbook, without all the pages about stuff I don't care about. My friends also chipped in for a spa day for me. I'm thinking about the following massage:

" HYDROTHERM™ MASSAGE
Discover a new dimension to the healthful art of massage -- warm water-filled cushions that cradle the body, and rock you gently in response to your massage therapist's touch. Conforming to the curves of your spine, these heated coushoins allow a full body massage without the interruption of turning over, or the use of a face cradle. A revolutionary treatment that relaxes you completely."

Sounds interesting, eh?

On Sunday, we started packing up the kitchen. The contents of the kitchen are now in boxes and bags, scattered throughout the house. We've made a makeshift kitchen in the laundry room. Today, some friends are helping my parents rip out the cupboards in preparation for the two new windows being put in the back wall. I'll put up pictures of the renovations as they go along.

the call

We've had the first baby racoon sighting tonight. They are such adorable bundles of furry delightfulness. Our own zoo in the hole in the pine tree :)
The sun makes my skin smell delicious. Does anyone else notice their skin smelling different when you've been in the sun?

don't worry

My mom received a piece of mail in a disgusting state this week. The letter (from a financial planner) had been sealed in a little plastic bag with Canada Post's apologies about it's condition. Thank goodness for the plastic bag, because it was covered in bird poop, front and back. There was even a little bird feather stuck to the envelope in case you couldn't tell what all that white stuff was. I can't fathom how it could it have happened. It looked like the letter had been sitting in a bird's nest for a week.

The form I'm currently working on for my visa application is overwhelming. Anyone remember the dates of my return from France in 1999 and England in 2004? The only stamped on my passport on the way into those countries, and I'm supposed to be giving details of all visits I've made to countries outside Australia in the last 10 years.

Update on our household appliances: the dryer broke this week. The new one arrives Thursday.

creation

Yesterday, Jayson, Kelly, Raphael and Elijah met Brian and Kaleena at the Toronto Zoo for some post long weekend fun. The zoo was not too full, the drive was great, the weather was excellently not too hot, not too cold, and the animals were beautiful :) I especially liked these African fish:These two little humans:
And this peacock, that thankfully did not eat too much from the tipped-over trash can.
It was a great marathon of a day, and it's sort of hard to go back to normal life today, especially since it's turned all cold and dreary again. Come back sun, I want to win the weather war!