HOLIDAYS

Wahoo! I am so excited because on Saturday I leave for a week in the Okanagan! I love the beach and I love hot weather. I am flying in early Sat morning and then my grandparents will pick me up and take me to their place. My parents will arrive later that day and then we will head out to some small house on the lake somewhere.... I don't really know where but I don't really care. For an entire week I will swim in the lake, tube, kneeboard, wakeboard and drive the boat! Did I mention I will be drinking margaritas and wine? oh yes, yes I will. I'm just a little excited.
So what is happening in my life lately? Not very much. My second family (the one I am currently living with) is away on vacation, out to Seattle and then Kelowna. I really hate big empty houses and I haven't slept well since they left. I miss getting daily hugs from Jamie too. Hopefully we will cross paths in Kelowna but I don't really know what their plans are..or ours. This is a picture of China Beach, we went there on Canada day, isn't it beautiful?

I am keeping busy by organizing and cleaning and baking! I know I am going to sound lame but I absolutely love watching the Food Network. I watch it more than any other channel and I know all the shows. My favs are Everyday Italian, Chef at Home, Barefoot Contessa and Iron Chef. I love to recreate what they make and not many people are willing to test it out (I am good...most of the time). Still, its fun. I made a banana cake with cream cheese icing (my favourite) and I made cookies the other day too.
Of course, mostly I am busy looking for a place to live and its been hard. You can't be choosy at all. I think we did find one though and we are very lucky as the location rocks and the Landlords are very nice. Its small but I don't need a lot of room ;) Hopefully we will be happy there.
This last picture is of our makeshift shelter at China Beach. It was rather cold when we went and the wind was brutal. I noticed that people all down the beach were making walls out of the driftwood so we did the same. What a difference it made! Despite the cold, I still braved the wind and hit the waves!

Thoughts

Does anybody believe in karma? I totally believe in it and I think it defines who we are as people. Good stuff happens to good people right? Many would disagree with that statement, I even do sometimes. But eventually really good things happen that you realize it just took so long to get to you, like slow shipping. So when I am having really bad days, I try and do something really nice - like hold a door open for someone, pay a compliment or give attention to someone who needs it....even when I dont want too. I cant help think that one day when I need it, someone will do something nice for me. It happens all the time. I am very fortunate to have some pretty fantastic people in my life...I dont know what I would do without them. There are those who let you down..certain individuals in my family for one or even people who I once called friends. But none of that really matters when you think of your life and what you have in it. We are so lucky to live where we do and have what we have. Its too bad so many of us take it for granted. I used to take it for granted but then I moved to Victoria and I have had so much time to myself that I feel I have rediscovered who I am. Everyday I am thankful for the people in my life and the things around me. So every now and then I stop. Just stop. And I think of how thankful I am for my family, my job, my good health and loyal friends. When I do that, the problems of the day.....fade into the background.

A Summer Walk

My dearest blogmates, I must apologize for the delay in my writing. I have just been....lazy! You know how it is, summer, sunshine...the beach!!
Anyway, here are some pictures of my most recent walk:
This first one is the path of which I walk....its very peaceful and not that busy (except on the weekends). I absolutely love how surrounded I am by the forest.

This is the cat I always see in the farmers field chasing birds and mice. He is a brillant colour and I caught him mid-hunt on some birds.

This is an amazing shot of a Maple Leaf against the blue of the afternoon sky. It really stands out...great representation for Canada!

This is the environmental habitat lake that I walk too. It was a great night for a shot and the reflections turned out beautiful.

This little guy was sitting on the bridge over the lake and he was more than happy to pose for me while I took a dozen (at the least) shots of him. This was my best shot.

Yet again another shot of the lake. Lily pad surround it, providing shelter and food for ducks, fish and turtles.

I came accross these guys by accident, I was so focused on the lake that I almost pushed them off the bridge! I call them my lovebirds although I think they are really just buds catching the last of the evening rays and huddling for warmth. The one on the right totally ignored me until the last shot when he decided to crack his eye to see what the hell I was disturbing him for.

And that's about it for my photos. I dont think I will have too many new ones from my walk for awhile...unless something really cool pops up. I would love to find a turtle but they are hard to catch on land or close to the surface....still I wont give up, I wont!
Buenos Noches