we all float on

I want to float on these last bits of summer for as long as I can. I am in between, that place right before the change, before the priorities are re-aligned. It's coming, there's no doubt, and soon. The first stage is already here, but more on that later. Right now, I still want to lie on my back in the pool staring at the light, fluffy clouds above me, my only worry what we will eat for dinner or finishing another chapter in my book. I want to feel the freedom of the whole day, the whole week stretched out in front of me, countless possibilities to be had. I want to wake slowly on the trail of dreams, when I feel good and rested. I want to sip my coffee as I visit my favorite sites, inspiration swelling inside of me and spurring creative projects that can all be realized. I want to eat melon and corn, cheeseburgers, roasted pepper, onion and zucchini. I want to try new recipes every week, with all the time and patience I need to devote to them. I want to kneel and dig in the dirt, pulling weeds, planting flowers, re-arranging a garden that will take form as the years go by. I want to drink Pina Colada on my parents' deck with the sun rays streaming in through the branches of the maple that has grown towering over the backyard since the days I was a little girl. I want to eat food from the BBQ. I want to watch fireworks, I want to bike ride and roller blade, take drives down to the countryside. There is still some time. If only this last little bit of August could last forever... Holding on to these glimpses...

time keeps on slipping into the future

Here we are mid-August, a few days away from the famous "call". Trying not to be stressed about that; trying to enjoy the last little stretch of summer before school starts up again. Trying not to freak out about the unknowns - which school, which grade, for what length of time... What will be will be, so no sense stressing over things you can't really change.Right? I will try to suck it up and make the best of whatever comes my way.

I feel like I need to recap the summer. I've been really crap at blogging. Here are some things that have been happening around here. Sadly, we'll have to go way back to June for a full-fledged summary.

Behold, Patrick's birthday:

First we had a brunch with his family, and we celebrated Father's Day at the same time. The following weekend we had a dinner with my family, which was also a sort of housewarming. We got my parents tickets for the Beatles' Story to make up for the fact that we hadn't really done anything for Mother's Day or Father's Day since we had been so busy with the move and the end of the school year. My family also surprised us with a new BBQ!

I was pretty stressed about cooking for both families for the first time, but it all went pretty well in the end. Patrick and I are refining our cooking/team skills, so it's working out nicely. It is so great to have our own kitchen with a huge island. I must say, it makes all the difference. Now I just need to learn not to freak out about having everything perfect.

Ah yes, during all this time, Pat was also taking an yoga/massage course which came to an end that weekend. An amazing perk to all this is that he must practice giving massages to a certain number of people before he gets his official certificate. Guess who has been volunteering lots of her time towards this goal?! Yup, I'm cashing in on it people. It's great. It's really relaxing now that we have a massage table in the basement. I am spoiled, I know.

Hmm, what else.... Well, we adopted a kitty. She belonged to our friend Dave, who will be moving to Dubai shortly to work for an undetermined period of time in the construction business. Although he wanted to bring her with him, he would have had to pay a ridiculous amount of money to have her quarantined (think $3000) and even then, there was a chance that they might have killed her if they didn't like the look of her, even if she was perfectly healthy. Seeing as he did not want to take that risk, we volunteered to take her in. We've had our ups and downs with her over the past few months. She is needy, she meows a lot for attention, and she has nibbled at some of our curtains (thankfully it's not that noticeable). But overall things are going well and she has her "cute" moments that makes her irresistible, as seen here.

Dave was also staying with us for a few weeks when the lease to his apartment was up. We were glad to help him out as he got his shit sorted out. He's sort of been in limbo for the past little while as he waits for the official okay to sign his contract and begin his new life abroad (which he finally found out should be this September if all goes as planned). Our basement was a royal mess since we hadn't even cleaned out all our boxes from the move, then we needed to find space for Dave and his things. I was getting a bit antsy because my mom was having new couches delivered around that time, and we were going to take her old ones, which we would also have to put in the basement. I also really wanted to paint over the atrocious orange colour that was gracing the walls down there... All this to say that Dave ended up moving in with some other friends so that we could continue sorting out/renovating over here and to accommodate the donated furniture that I wasn't willing to pass up.

Shorthly after, we got into the painting, adn that is when the fun really began. We noticed a little chip in the wall, and upon closer investigation, we discovered that the paint was peeling right off in the same fashion as wallpaper. Then the little hole became a gaping, scary hole.

The real party came when we found about 4-5 different layers underneath with some really sketchy type of plaster that had never dried properly, so it started coming off like sand when we touched it. Here is what the basement looked liked when we thought we would never see the end of it. Depressing, isn't it? Doesn't it look like a DIY project gone terribly wrong?!

I am very happy to report that after a few weeks of peeling, priming, plastering, re-priming, re-plastering, three coats of paint and 2 coats of touch-ups, it is complete! What a fantastic day when we were finally able to vacuum and mop, and start to place furniture the way we wanted. I am so glad that it's over. Oh how rewarding it feels! Here is what it looks like now.

Anyways, I have been rambling for long enough now and I want to go enjoy the sunshine before this evening since we have a going away dinner to attend :) Hope everyone is having a good weekend!