Tuesday, October 13, 2009

RIP Michael James Finlayson


I recently spent a week in Mexico with my good friends Jody and Mike. I left after a week and tragically there was a horrible accident and my dear friend Mike passed away in Mexico a few days after I left. My last day there, Jody, Mike & I spent an hour reminiscing about our week. I took notes so I could update my blog in great detail with all the funny stories and fun adventures.

As grateful as I am for those memories, I'm just not ready to share them yet.

RIP Mike....I miss you.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Friday, July 31, 2009

Dog Days of Summer

So,

This is my first full summer in Victoria...I moved here the middle of July 2008 and things were pretty hectic getting settled in my new store, finding a place to live, moving, finding my way around....so I never really got to enjoy the outdoors too much last year.

Well....no excuses this year. The weather has been fantastic, so I've been spending most of my days off outside, enjoying the sunshine.

During the first mini heat wave in June, I googled "beaches in Victoria" and came across Willows beach. Pictures looked nice so I went there a few days in a row. The view was amazing and the fresh air felt great. The water was too cold to go into, but it was fun to watch people playing volleyball and there was a nice breeze off the water, so I never felt over heated.

Most of July has been extremely hot, and while I really enjoy Willow's Beach, I wanted to go to a beach where I could take my air mattress and float in the water...and I was hoping to find a beach closer to home. Willows Beach is about 30-40 minutes from my house...which isn't horrible...but I found I kept getting stuck in traffic on the way home on McKenzie.

Thetis Lake is about 5 minutes from my house. I wasn't sure if I'd like it there...the parking lot fills up fast and the overflow lot is a good 15-20 minute walk from the beach...too long of a walk in the sweltering heat.

Anyhow, I left my house early (about 10:30am) one morning and decided to check out Thetis. The lot had tons of parking spots left and it was a quick walk through the trail to the beach. I brought my beach chair, towel, ipod and a good book. When I got to the beach area, I was shocked....it was so tiny!!! I'd never seen such a small beach area...sure the sand is nice....but where was the rest of it!!??? I found a nice sunny spot and started people watching. There were lots of parents with young kids...everyone seemed to be having a good time...lots of people swimming in the water. I took a stroll over to the water and dipped my toes in...I was pleasantly surprised!! It was quite warm...yet refreshing enough that on a hot day it would feel great!

I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing...I noticed around noon the moms and dads started packing up their young kids, and then the teenagers starting flocking. Don't get me wrong...I completely understand that it's a public beach and I have NO problem with little kids, older kids, teenagers having fun....I actually have a great time people watching....but what I was not prepared for was due to the beach area being so small...as the beach gets busier and more crowded, people literally sit down RIGHT next to you....seriously....I'd be sitting there relaxing and a group would show up, lay out their towels and their towel was touching my towel...that bothers me...that's my "space"...my "bubble zone". I got up, tried really hard not to have an annoyed look on my face and very casually moved my beach chair and towel a few inches away. 5 minutes later, someone on the other side plunked down...again...practically on my towel this time. I had enough...packed up and left...I wasn't mad...I just couldn't get over how crowded it was.

I was bound and determined not to go back to Thetis ever again...but...it's just so close to my house...so the next day, I decided to try it again...but this time, I brought my air mattress. This isn't just any air mattress....it's a fabulous one that allows you to sit a bit in the water (to keep cool) and it's designed so well, that there's no way you'll ever tip over....I have 2....one that just has a bit of a pillow for the head, and one that has a bit of a back so you can sit up and "lounge". I brought the "lounging one" today.

I was a bit nervous going out into the water...I don't know how to swim...and what if the air mattress suddenly deflates in the middle of the lake. Don't get me wrong...I could swim for about 30 minutes to save my life...but still. I felt better when I saw how many people were out on the lake in air mattresses and rafts. Worse case scenario, I'd have to have someone in the raft get me back to shore...it would be embarassing...but I decided not worry about it. I had a GREAT time out in the water in my air mattress. I stayed in the water all day and didn't have to worry about people crowding me...lots of room in the lake!

During July I had a few shifts during the week that ended at 4pm...I would head straight from work to the lake...and when I'd get there around 4:20ish, the parking lot was packed...but lots of people are leaving for the day...so it wasn't too bad getting a parking spot...plus everyone gives you their parking pass/ticket, so I didn't have to buy one for $2. By 4:20, the sun is kinda starting to go behind the trees surrounding the lake...so only 1/2 the beach has direct sunshine...the rest is kinda shady...but out in the lake, you get the full sun! It was great! I worked a 9 and a half hour day and then got to go sit out in the sun, for 2 hrs after work...I love it!!!

Then...the "incident" happened. I was splishing and splashing my way back to shore and as I stepped out of my air mattress into the shallow water, trying to be careful not to walk into any little kids...then...I smelled....PEE!! At first....I thought I was imagining things....but no....it was pee...and it all made sense....that water is shallow, it's not going anywhere, it's FULL of little kids playing....and now I know why the water was so warm. EWWW...I was totally grossed out. Maybe time to give Thetis Lake a bit of a break.

So...that brings me to my days off this week (Wed and Thursday)...which just so happened to be the hottest days EVER in July...Victoria broke a record on Wednesday. Anyhow...some people from work suggested I go to Matheson Lake...out near Metchosin off of Rocky Point Road. It takes about 20 minutes to get there...but no chance of getting stuck in rush hour, so I thought I'd give it a try.

I was a bit surprised when I got there and made my way through the trail to the beach...it too was very small....hardly any beach area....hmmm....plus....it was VERY shady....almost a little too cool being out of the sun. Well...I was here...thought I'd give it a try. I took my air mattress out in the water (I did not smell pee) and once I went out into the middle of the lake, the sun was right on me and I felt great...nice and relaxed. I again spent the whole day out in the water and packed up and left around 3. I couldn't believe how crowded it was when I left...maybe crowded isn't the right word...lots of people...but so many people go out into the water...so maybe that's why the beach area didn't seem as busy...lots of people were in the lake in their air mattresses, tubes and some even had those big "party island"....a HUGE round thing that floats in the water and has fancy seats for 4 people...but can definately hold a lot more people....everyone seemed to be having a good time.

The next day, I decided to go again....but this time I walked past the beach area and walked a bit up the trail until I found an area on the edge of the lake...it kinda had rocks and boulders....so it was a bit uneven...but it was nice and sunny and a little quieter...there were different levels of rocks, so you could probably have about 20-30 people fit comfortably in that area. It was a bit more awkward getting into the water with my air mattress because I had to scale down the rocks in my bare feet, holding onto my air mattress and the rocks on the bottom were really slippery...in fact...when I stepped in the first time...I kinda slipped and scraped my knee...ouch...I'll live. The water was a bit more breezy today so I didn't enjoy being out in the water as much.

There was one kind of funny moment when a group of guys came and found a spot on the rock near the spot I had my stuff set up. One of them decided to jump into the water from the rock, rather than climbing down. I was a little nervous because the water really wasn't that deep until you get a little further out...plus there were tons of rocks and logs on the bottom. He jumped in without killing himself...but rather than come to the surface right away, he started swimming out a bit...away from the rock...and he was heading straight towards me!! I panicked a bit and started shuffling away as quick as I could...he was practically next to me and I was worried he'd end up under my air mattress and when he came up for air would end up knocking me off my air mattress. Luckily he popped to the surface literally inches from me...he wasn't facing me so I had to say "I'm right behind you". He got a little embarassed, went back under water and swam away. Everyone on the rock had a good laugh. It was pretty funny...I'm just glad I didn't get tipped over...I would have been so scared! The water was deep!

So...those are my stories and thoughts about beaches in Victoria...I'll let you know if I go to any others.

Oh...and for those of you who think I should take swimming lessons...my mom put me in swimming lessons when I was younger...but I was the only one that would leave the water with dry hair....and this isn't going to make any sense...but I have no desire to swim because I'm scared of drowning....lets leave it at that...

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Hornby Island Camping Trip, July 2009

Some of you care, some of you don't...for those of you who are interested, here's a daily recap of my Hornby Island trip.I decided about a month ago that I wanted to stay on the Island for my holidays...who knows how long I"ll be living in Victoria, and I wanted to take advantage of all the great things to see & do. A lot of people suggested Hornby Island...and considering it takes 2 ferries to ge there (3 if you're on the mainland), I thought it would be a great opportunity to go.I tried to book a place online...like a small cottage or bed and breakfast, but from what I could see, July & August are "prime time" and everyone was booking by the week. I didn't want to stay for a week...and it was too far away to make just a day trip out of it, so I checked out the campsites and booked a spot at Tribune Bay.

I asked a few of my friends who also enjoy camping if they would like come with me. They tried and tried, but unfortunately couldn't get the days off work...hmmm...well...I wanted to go to Hornby Island, so I'm going to Hornby Island. I couldn't believe how many people were FREAKING OUT that I decided to go alone. "its not safe", "a girl shoulding be camping alone". Sheesh...what's the big deal!!??? It's not like I'm some irresponsible flooze, planning on getting wasted and hopping from campsite to campsite. If I always cancelled plans because I had nobody to go with, I'd never to half the things I've done! I love my family and friends, but sometimes the peace and quiet is nice too. So...I packed up my car and off I went!!

Day 1:
Tuesday - got up early...packed my car up the night before so I was ready to go! Stopped by work quickly to fill up my cooler with ice and grab a few last minute groceries. Like I mentioned in the above paragraph, I was shocked that people were so opposed to me going by myself!!?? I still don't see what the big deal is...people go backpacking over Europe by themselves for months at a time...all I wanted was to enjoy a few days during my holidays and explore Vancouver Island...oh well...I'm over it and I hope they are too.The drive was uneventful...I was checking out the weather forecast for the past week and I was disappointed to see it called for showers on Tuesday and Wedneday, then was supposed to be really nice on Thursday. Just my luck...showers. I got to the ferry terminal at Buckley Bay...it's just like the Albion ferry from Fort Langley to Maple Ridge. The rain was really coming down...but I was trying to convince myself that by the time I got to Hornby Island, it would taper off. The ferry took me to Denman Island, then I drove about 10km across to the other side of the Island and caught another ferry to Hornby Island. Once on the other side, I drove about 10-15 minutes until I got to the Tribune Bay Campsite. By now, the rain was really coming down. Heavy heavy rain. How does the forecast call for "showers" (less than 1mm) but end up in absolute downpour???!!! I was pissed.

I went to my reserved campsite...spot #16....but there were no other campers in the spots next to me!!! It would have been a great campsite...if there were more people around...so I drove around to see what other spots were available. With the weather being so hideous, there were quite a few open spots. I decided on spot #5...it was really close to the check in cabin, and there were families in the spots next to me on either side...and it was across from the playground, so I knew there would always be people around. The spot had an electrical hook up...so it was a bit more expensive...but worth it...safety first, right? While waiting to check in, I met a few nice people. There was a girl, about my age, with her 2 kids (2yr old and a 7yr old) and her cousin, and the people next to me were an older couple from Alberta, her daugher (I'm guessing who was in her 30's) and their grandkids (belonging to another daughter who wasn't there) who were from Idaho.I sat in my car, in my campsite for TWO HOURS, waiting for the downpour of rain to subside...there's nothing worse than setting up a tent in the rain. The rain did not stop...it did not fricken stop!!!! I finally gave up and set up in the rain. I have to say...I'm pretty good at this camping thing!! I did make a few mistakes though...first of all...I put a tarp down and then set the tent up on top (good). But the tarp was WAY too big so I had to fold it akwardly so I could put the tent on top and then hammer the stakes into the ground, securing the tent (Bad). Folding the tarp akwardly allowed the rain water to pool up in quite a few spots...this then slowly leaked into the tent, creating a few pools of water...but I survived. Oh well...I wouldn't have had this problem if there would have just been SHOWERS like the FORECAST called for!.

After the tent was set up, I put in the air mattress and sleeping bag and my sleeping quarters were set. Next mission...picnic table. I dried it off as best I could and then popped up my awning (I think that's what's it's called...it's like a sun shade, pop up gazebo thing). $69.99 from Save on Foods...best $70 I've ever spent!! This thing rocked!!! I was a little worried because it didn't say it was water proof...but it was definately water proof! The water just beaded off and even when I packed it up when I left, it was completely dry!! It took about 3 minutes to set up! The only thing I needed help with (I asked the lady next to me for a quick hand), is it needs two people to pop the frame in place because you need to lift 2 legs at a time. Hard to explain but if you've ever had one of these things, you know what I mean. By now it was close to dinner, so I brought out my handy BBQ that I packed...it's the folding one I use at home, but it's the red coleman roadtrip one...I bought it for everday use, but a big selling feature was that it does fold down and can go camping easily. Dinner was deeelish. I put nugget potatoes, baby carrots and fresh dill with a bit of butter in tin foil and let that bake on the grill. On the other side, I grilled a chicken kabob. Everything turned out great and I was well fed.

Oh ya...I forgot to mention...the weather HAD been really dry, so they had their first ever FULL FIRE BAN!! That's right...no campfire. My clothes are damp, I'm cold, my feet are wet and no campfire!!! I swear mother nature hates me...she hates me.I walked over to the main cabin to buy some ice...as I walked up, I heard something beautiful...someone playing guitar and singing. As I walked in, it was guy in the office, playing his guitar and singing 3AM by Matchbox 20! Hello!!! Good looking and talented!!!?? What's he doing running a campground...this guy should be on tour or something!!?? So in I stumble, a wet, frizzy haired mess. "Nice song" was all I was able to stutter before asking him if I could buy a bag of ice. I took my ice, re-arranged my cooler, plunked in my camping chair and spent the evening listening to campground guy play guitar and sing. After their office closed (around 7:30), it was pretty quiet. I have to give parents A LOT of credit...even in the rain (I'm telling you, this rain did NOT STOP for the whole day or night....did not stop) there were a lot of parents in the playground, letting their kids run around, play and get wet. I now have even more respect for parents...I can't imagine camping with a little one is easy...let alone in the pouring rain, yet nobody was complaining and they were letting their kids have fun!

Pretty soon it was time for bed. No flushable toilets in this campsite...I had to use an outhouse...hole in the ground, smelly outhouse...it wasn't pleasant...I did a lot of squatting, holding my breath and if there was a contest for the quickest pee-er...I would win.I put my cooler back in the car...when I checked in, the guy (the hot one that sings) at the desk said to lock everything up at night...the local kids are known to come around at night and steal everyone's alcohol after they've gone to bed. Great...just the vision I need...some weirdo's snooping around my campsite as I lay in my tent sleeping (or trying to).I went to bed cold, damp and a little deflated, listening to the non-stop rain beating down on the tent.

Day 2:
I woke up early...around 6...but the campground was quiet. I inspected the inside of my tent and found quite a few pools of water...I was not happy! I thought I did everything right!! I even put a large tarp over my tent, but the water was coming in from the bottom...from not putting the tarp down properly. Finally, around 8 I got up and lounged around outside. People sure took their time getting up in the morning! How do you sleep in when you're camping? By 5 am the sun is rising, the sky is light, the birds are chirping. I felt like running through the campground banging pots and pans, yelling "wake up people...it's 8am already!!!" Of course I didn't...I just replied to text messages (everyone was CONVINCED I didn't make it through the night) and called my mom to check in.

Finally, there was a little life in campground and people were out and about. I had a great spot for people watching...I literally just sat in my chair, watched everyone drive in, check in, people walk by, people drive by...you name it, I saw it. The day went by fairly quickly. Overcast, but NO RAIN. Yay!!! I was sooo happy. I walked up to the Co-op...very odd little store. Very small, but they sell a bit of everything. Downstairs they have tools for sales, toys, clothes and alcohol. You can't buy the alcohol off a shelf though...you look through a book of what they carry, then tell them what you want and they get it from the back for you....very strange.There were a few shops around the Co-op, again, I did some people watching. The Co-op seemed to be the popular hangout for all the locals. The locals were an interesting group. Fairly young, fairly hairy. The men were either really hairy with shaggy beards, or they were clean cut, muscular outdoorsy types.

I then walked down to the beach (too many clouds to suntan) and walked along the sand, checking out the sea life. I saw beautiful shells, a star fish, a dead crab and a few other things I couldn't identify. In the afternoon, I went to the farmers market. It was pretty cool...about 25-30 vendors, set up in the forest, selling everything and anything. The most popular items seemed to be a mango on a stick. There were people selling fresh veggies, baked goods, pottery, jewlery...a bit of everthing. I bought a few cookies and headed back to the campsite. I cooked another great dinner (same as the night before except instead of kabobs, I did a turkey weiner). Around 6pm, one of the campground guys came around in his truck selling bundles of firewood...the ban had been lifted!! Yay! I bought a bundle, brought out my mini axe, chopped some of it into small kindling pieces (did I spell that right) and started my fire. I must admit...I was pretty proud of myself...I built a pretty darn good fire! It's not just a matter of lighting a match and setting the log on fire...I built a little teepee out of the little pieces of wood I chopped up, lit that up first and when it was burning, I added the full logs in then...in a matter of no time, I had a FANTASTIC fire. I used my marshmallow poker and made deeelish smores...I make the world's best smores. I had an incredibly relaxing night by the fire...I didn't go to bed until around 11 because I waited for the fire to completely burn out.

One thing that kinda bothered me was a middle-aged man riding around the campground on his bike. Maybe he was security, but you know when you just get a weird feeling about someone??? I mean, he was by 2, or 3 times an hour...I just got a weird feeling he was scoping the place out. I was a little uneasy, so I slept with the flashlight on all night, and had my keys in my hand in case I heard anything, I could hit the panic button and my car alarm would go off and hopefully wake up the whole campground. The night was uneventful, but I still had pools of water in certain spots inside my tents...so it still had that damp feeling inside the tent...I hate that.

Day 3:
I woke up to the sun shining, the birds chirping and the rain long gone. It was just after 6. I hung out for a while and waited for everyone around me to start waking up. Around 8, I decided I definately needed a shower. I went into the shower area, where they charge loonies (1 loonie, gets you about 2.5 minutes of water). I got the water started up and stepped in....and almost barfed!!! They claim the water is filtered and chlorinated (but not safe to drink), but I'm telling you...the water smelled sooooo bad. Words can't even describe it....it was horrible...disgusting....smelly....I was bathing in smelly water. Needless to say, I washed up a quickly as I could and got the heck out of there. Yuck.

The people around me were starting to pack up...a lot of them were leaving this morning. Hmmm...I was reserved 1 more night...but didn't know how I felt about the campers around me leaving...especially with freaky bike guy around. Speaking of freaky bike guy, I saw him again ride by on his bike...twice in 5 minutes. Enough was enough...I went to the check in cabin and asked if they have a guy riding around on a bike...they said yes...their security guy at night. They said he's older, wears a hat and rides a rickety bike. I said no, this guy wears no hat, has grey hair, is on a mountain bike and has been riding around the past day and a half, evening and daytime. Hmmm...they said that definately isn't they guy they have on staff and they'd make note of it. I asked if anyone had the spots next me reserved for that night...they said no but that a lot of people check in without reservations.

My mind was made up, I had to go with my gut and put safety first and decided to also leave that day. Since I had paid up until the next day, I was glad I wasn't on a deadline to leave like everyone else was (you had to be gone by 11am), plus I wanted to enjoy the day there before leaving. I did a bit of cleaning and packing...my campsite was really organized because I keep all my camping gear in 2 rubbermaid totes. I took the tarp and fly off the tent so it could dry out a bit and then drove over to Helliwell Park. I didn't realize there was a 5km train that goes along the bluff...apparently there are great views as well, but I only had flip flops on and my runners were back at the campsite...and I didn't think it would be a good idea to be wandering the forest by myself. Instead, I went to Whaling Station Bay...which was a nearby beach. It was beautiful there, so I hung out there for a while. I then drove back to my campsite, ate lunch and completely packed everything up. Sure enough, when I took my tent off the tarp, I could see all the spots on the tarp where the water pooled and that's why I had so much water seeping into my tent. Packing up was a breeze, so I was finished in no time.

I then grabbed my beach chair, my towel and walked over to the beach. It was amazing...totally made up for the crappy first day. Blue skies, sun shining, beautiful water. The beach was packed...I found a nice spot and spent the whole day there. Lots of people were skimboarding and kayaking. I went into the water just a little bit...it was so warm! Just before 4, I headed back to my campsite, got my car and headed towards the ferry. On my way, I stopped at the stores surrounding the Co-Op and supported the local economy by buying a pretty necklace and a simple dress from one of the stores. I caught both ferries no problem and was home just after 8:30. I unpacked the car, had a nice bath and spent some time with my kitties who were purring like crazy.

Well...I tried to give you the short version, but that was my Hornby Island Experience

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

My Favorite Quotes

**Originally posted March 7th, 2009**

So...some of you may...or may not know...I love to collect and read quotes. Over the past few months, I've started writing them down as I come across ones I like and have saved them on my computer.
So...in no particular order, here are a few of my favorites...they are usually themed around success, motivation and love.Please share some of your favorites for me to add to my collection, and let me know if there are any on my list that you like.
Unfortunately, I don't have author's names...many of them are famous quotes, others I've see on Hallmark cards, some I've randomly seen in the mall or a store window and had to phone my voicemail to read out so I wouldn't forget later...oh ya...a few at the end are from my lululemon bag!

1. I'd rather be hated for who I am, than to be loved for who I am not
2. The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
3. Fate only takes you so far, then it's up to you to make it happen.
4. Never be sad for what is over, just be glad that it was once yours
5. Love starts with a smile, grows with a kiss, and ends with a tear
6. Women might be able to fake orgasms. But men can fake a whole relationship
7. There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot
8. Laugh as much as you breathe and love as long as you live
9. When you find a job you love, you'll never have to work a day in your life
10. Remember, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday
11. It's much easier to turn a friendship into love, than love into friendship
12. Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there
13. Love is not finding someone to live with; it's finding someone you can't live without
14. Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up
15. Happiness will never come to those who fail to appreciate what they already have
16. Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't
17. For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul
18. LIFE IS 10% WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU AND 90% HOW YOU REACT TO IT
19. If you can’t handle me at my worst, then you don’t deserve me at my best
20. Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain
21. Dance as though no one is watching you Love like you've never been hurt before Sing as though no one can hear you Live like heaven is on earth
22. Life isn't measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away
23. Life is short; break the rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably, and never regret anything that made you smile
24. It is what it is
25. For every minute you're angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness
26. I have found that if you love life, life will love you back
27. In love, it is better to know and be disappointed, than to not know and always wonder
28. You make a living by what you get; you make a life by what you give
29. Creativity is maximized when you're living in the moment
30. Your outlook on life is a direct reflection on how mch you like yourself
31. Wake up and realize you are surrounded by amazing friends
32. Don't eat yellow snow

As I a Mature

A friend sent me this...I think it's hilarious!!


AS I MATURE...
I’ve learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is stalk them and hope they panic and give in.

I’ve learned that no matter how much I care, some people are just assholes.

I’ve learned that it takes years to build up trust, and it only takes suspicion, not proof, to destroy it.

I’ve learned that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes. After that, you’d better have a big willy or huge boobs.

I’ve learned that you shouldn’t compare yourself to others - they’re more screwed up than you think.

I’ve learned that you can keep vomiting long after you think you’re finished.

I’ve learned that we are responsible for what we do, unless we are celebrities.

I’ve learned that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades, and there had better be a lot of money to take its place!

I’ve learned that 99% of the time when something isn’t working in your house, one of your kids did it.

I’ve learned that the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon and all the less important ones just never go away.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

An Intro to my Blog...

Well...where do I start. I'd like to think I've had a pretty interesting and entertaining life. I can usually find humour in any situation and love sharing my life events with friends and co-workers. While some of my "stories" may seem over the top, I can promise you that they are always 100% true. It sometimes feels like all the crazy things I've been through only happen to me...but I'm sure I'm not alone.

I somehow manage to find myself in an embarassing situation on almost a daily basis.  I'd like to think people are laughing with me...not at me...but at the end of the day, it's all in good fun.

I decided to start this blog because I enjoy sharing my adventures in life. I will start with some stories from the past, and will try to keep it up to date with current events in my life. From time to time, if I go through a spell of not having anything interesting to share, I may backtrack to a story from the past...there are so many good ones to share! The first 13 posts (besides this) will be copied from my facebook notes.

I hope everyone enjoys my stories as much as I enjoy sharing them.

Let the fun begin!