Coming to you live from the white and frosty north
(yes, we got MORE snow last night!!):
It has been a long and frustrating month, and I’m hoping the arrival of March brings us more sun, less snow, temperatures that don’t freeze bare skin in under 5 minutes, and better health for all. My cough still lingers (its better, but not gone). Jake finally went to the doctor last Friday, and he’s now on $300 in medicine (antibiotics, nose spray and a puffer) for a sinus infection that got REALLY bad before he sought assistance. Steve goes to the doc at the end of this week for the same illness, so I’m guessing we’ll have pharmacy run #2 on Friday night. We are so sorely in need of warmer temperatures….but arriving slowly with no dramatic and rapid thaws, or we’ll be under water as the snow melts.
We’ve also been crazy busy here at my office….its RRSP season and it’s been
insane over the course of the month. Definitely good for business, but exhausting nonetheless
. Monday, March 2nd is the last day to make deposits for the 2014 tax year, so things should hopefully settle down a bit after that.
The positive side is that time is marching right along. I can hardly believe we leave just 9 weeks from tomorrow….64 days! I’m starting to think of all the little things we need to arrange, and trying to get things in place now so I have less to worry about later. Many of you know that I devote a weekend day to my mom each week….it’s something we’ve done since my Dad passed away in 2010. With no driver’s license or car, she needs to do her banking, groceries and general running around, so we pick her up and take her shopping every Saturday or Sunday. We also use the opportunity to treat her to a good meal somewhere…..living alone for so long, she tends not to put a whole lot of importance on good nutrition. I always worry about her missing our weekly expedition when we’re away, but this time I can rest easy: Jake and Sweetie have offered to step in and take our place. Jake knows how she likes to shop (older folks have a certain “process” that they like to follow, and heaven help you if you change things up!), and he jumped at the opportunity to take Nanny out on the town. He’s even going to take her out to dinner. She is THRILLED….and truth be told, I think it will be good for all of them. I know Mom will be missing me, so he will be good company for her when she’s a little more lonely than usual. Surely Jake will be missing his momma just a little (please don’t tell me otherwise…not sure my heart can handle that) so it will give him some company, too. Knowing that is worked out is a HUGE load off my mind. Yes, I have a sister and a brother, but sadly they are no help. My brother is in the middle of a nasty divorce and spends most of his free time on disaster control (he’s the assistant GM for a large manufacturing firm here in our city, so his free time is limited at best). My sister is just a selfish beast
and won’t help anyone unless there’s a personal payback which benefits herself, so expecting her to take over in my absence would be ludicrous. I will be sure to bring the boy back something nice to show him my appreciation.
We’ve also decided to forego using our Roam Mobility phone, and get the Telus US travel pack for our phone. Its $20 more for our vacation than Roam, but it comes with a wee bit of data (not that we need it, really) in addition to matching the unlimited calling and texting of Roam. The benefit to the Telus add-on is that both Jake and Mom will be able to call us for free (rather than it being a long distance call to our Roam number). Not an issue so much with mom (she usually waits for ME to call HER when we are in Orlando) but definitely might be a huge benefit for Jake. For his first time home alone, I want him to be able to reach me directly whenever he needs or wants….if for nothing more than to say “hey mom, all is well, the house is still standing and I haven’t had to call 911 even once”
. That peace of mind will be money well spent.
We’re still watching rental car prices on a daily basis, but there’s been nothing but upward movement so far. I’m expecting (hoping?) to see some changes within the next two to three weeks. In the past, that 6-8 weeks out mark has been a rather sweet spot for rental prices. Our Dollar reservation at $165 is still the front-runner, and well below the current prices of $300+
.
We’re also tweaking our tentative “itinerary”. Nothing major, just a few minor adjustments here and there. I will try to share the updated plans in another post later today or tomorrow.
And finally…my Big Steve has already met the weight goal he set for himself back at the beginning of January. His hope was to lose 30 pounds before we travelled, and he’s reached that milestone already
. I am so proud of that guy! He is down 2 pants sizes and is feeling simply marvellous. We continue to swim every evening, he works out independently on a daily basis (treadmill, elliptical, weights) and our healthy eating endeavour has become a rather nice new habit. I can’t say I have seen the same weight loss result as Steve has, but I’m sleeping better and feeling physically stronger…..I am woman, hear me roar! (okay, not really
…..but I feel great nonetheless).
Steve-o was saying last night that he is excited about doing the strong man game again while at IOA, assuming it’s still there. You know those things where you hit the target with a hammer and have to ring the bell to win a prize? He did that on our January 2012 trip, and won me a flying dragon that has since taken up permanent residence in our rec room, a symbol of a man’s love for his lady. He was worried he would be too old and out of shape to win me a second stuffie on this trip, but I think his faith has been renewed as he continues to shed his excess pounds. One lesson we will take away from the last time, though…..don’t play so early in the day. Otherwise, you have to carry that sucker around for a really l-o-n-g time. Perhaps it will be a fun way to end off our time at IOA instead.
so we might not be going this trip, it's still up in the air.
) but they also have the whole line of products to accompany it. Pair the Tresemme spray with John Freida's Frizz-Ease shampoo and conditioner and not even the August humidity can give you a bad hair day.
. Unless, of course, they extend some rockin' good offers at Black Friday that I just can't resist 
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I can't find the willpower, just sat eating a bag of sweets now as I read the Dis!
. Heaven knows we have had enough snow to provide all the moisture those seedlings should need to get kick-started again this spring!!
