(somewhat) Lazy Sunday

:::

I slept in this morning which was gorgeous! For the past week I have been waking up about 7am like clockwork due to a combined force of birds that chirp exceedingly loudly and the sun creeping in my window. For some reason (perhaps cause I moved to the couch in the basement around 4am I managed to stay asleep til around 10:30! I got up and Mum and I had coffee sitting out on the back deck just hanging out, watering the flowers out there and chatting. Was lovely. Erin called and we had a good chat about her coming birthday weekend. I think I am going to head to Midland next weekend for some BBQ action. We want to do some fun yet cheap stuff on Friday night so if anyone has some good ideas let me know :) After my restful coffee/phone break we got my brother up to help us clear out the shed in the back garden. We need it for storage and it still is full of icky and smells like chicken poop (the former owner kept chickens in her back yard of course) So we used a power washer to clean out the inside after we got all the crap out. I think my brother power washed my butt and legs more than the inside of the shed, but I guess that must be a temptation hard to refuse...little brother with a water distribution unit...older sister hanging around. I guess he had to do it!

:::

Yesterday was my first day of work at the restaurant. I made a whopping $5 in tips! I was in training so it was to be expected but I was still hoping to clear the double digits. It is a really cool place to work and I am looking forward to getting in there more often. I was supposed to work today as well but I think they overstaffed even for someone in training.

:::

I didn't get to see Tara while she was here or meet her daughter Sophie. I am so disappointed. I had made plans to go up Friday night after work and see them up in Muskoka but the stars were aligned against us with about 35 things that made it impossible. The car I am driving (I will put photos up soon for sure) has a litany of issues and our mechanic didn't think I should take it too far without having the water pump replaced. My Mum's car needed to be taken to the dealership about an hour and a half away to have some warranty piece put on the brakes and I couldn't use my brothers car cause he needed it to get to work. Also my allergies were foul and I didn't want to subject anyone to that. Fortunately she is back in August for her brothers wedding so I will see her then. It is so hard to try to make plans at the moment as my brain is goo and just so much is going on.

Let the sneezing commence

:::

I am a fool. For the past week I was thinking that perhaps I somehow have outgrown the allergies that have plagued me for most of my life. I was starting to feel really positive and relatively snot-free til last night. My mum and I met up with my youngest brother at his place of employment and had some dinner. As I was finishing up my last beer, my throat started to itch...not an easy task one would think. So I sat in some discomfort til we headed for the car to get back home. I started sneezing a bit in the car and by the time we got home it was full blown disgustingness. I didn't sleep at all really last night cause I was literally waking up every 30mins to blow my nose and sneeze in abundance. I am very frustrated cause it has also derailed my fitness plan of going for a jog every morning cause today I could hardly get out of bed. The weather has also spiked today at a very balmy 30 C. (i forget how to convert to F at the moment, but suffice it to say it is warm out) I am supposed to go up north to Muskoka today to visit a very dear friend and to snuggle with her daughter but I just don't know if I am going to make it. Everything has come up at the last minute--we have to take my Mums car in due to some potentially fatal breakline issue, and I have to start waitress training tomorrow at 8am!

:::

On a way less pleasant note--I lost my job in the US! I had applied for Family Medical Leave Act which I thought I was in good standing to get but it didn't work out and so I am now unemployed for the first time in years. Kind of freaky. I have some opportunities up here but currently they aren't in the field where I can make that much money, so for some time I think it will feel like I am missing a zero from the end of my paycheque. I just feel a bit negative today cause i had been feeling so super awesome as of late and now I just feel like things are all coming apart. Blech

If I can still drink that much at 90...

:::

Yesterday we had a birthday party for my Grandparents. Earlier this month my Grandma turned 90 and on Friday my Grandfather turned 85. My family thought it fitting to throw them a big party and we did it in style. It was a lot of fun to have family and friends together for a joyous occasion as the last time we gathered en masse it was for a funeral. Needless to say this was a whole lot more fun. It feels so weird to be home and not rushing to do all the things I usually have to cram into a weekend. It feels so freeing to be able to make plans with friends for next week and actually be around to celebrate my best friend's birthday. It is strange to be away from Philly and since I guess it hasn't completely settled in yet that I am not going back in a day or two I think the homesickness will come a bit later. Right now I am still so excited to be drinking red wine with my grandma and getting teased by my younger brothers. It feels so nice to be all together again without such sadness immediately hanging over us. But I digress, the party was awesome. My best friend and her boyfriend came up to hang out for the day (they actually slept over as well) You know someone is your best friend when they will come up to your house to celebrate a familial birthday and kick it with your aunts and uncles. We managed to sneak away to have some quick catching up in conjunction with many many glasses of wine. I am currently putting my photos on the computer and was surprised to notice that I had taken 323 pics yesterday. Well I didn't take them all as family members were enamoured with the Nikon so I have many many random photos of things like the sink and potted plants--I have to go through them a bit before I upload to shutterfly. I thought I would post a few of my faves up here:

Me and my brothers

My cousin and her daughter checking out the fish pond

Me kiss mauling my bestie