I know you miss me ...

To Do List ...

I really need to get on here more. But as is so often the case with most people, life has intruded in BIG ways, and visiting here has really been put on the back burner.

K and I have been traveling loads - we have many trade shows to attend and still manage to squeeze in those romantic getaways that he and I enjoy so much. We've also been shopping for the home nest, plumping up the digs, as it were.

We've had a constant array of houseguests since the end of May (still do, in fact!) so the hacienda has been a flurry of activity for the longest time now. Eventually, the dust will settle again and we'll be back to 'normal' again.

No time for more than this meager update - my K will be here soon to whisk me away for yet another lunch à deux ... I do so love those moments alone with my guy!

Obviously!

K's home!

Julia was at COC again today to write her math placement test. Then she had a appointment with the academic advisor about the classes she needs to take/classes that are available. I spent my time picking up around the condo and doing laundry. Dinner was a thai salad. Well, a pseudo thai salad - I used the spaghetti leftover from the night before instead of soba noodles. didn't matter - it was delicious! You can find the recipe here ...

K came home later that evening! Jack was enthused, Molson was curious, and TimBit (in typical TimBit fashion) couldn't care less if he tried. Later, when we tucked in for the night, they all joined us in the bedroom - the cats on the bed and Jack on the floor close by. G'nite!

34°C ...

... and totally tolerable. I've experienced 34°C back home. It drags you down, makes it hard to breathe at times, and you feel as though you're dragging a cinderblock behind you everywhere you go. Humidity is a wonderful thing ... NOT! Twice today, I've met people who remarked about the humidity here. I chuckle and tell them this isn't humidity, that they should come to Montreal to learn about humidity. 34C here is warm, to be sure, but it's easy to go about your business without being affected at all. Life is good.

We went about a lot of business here today. Julia had to check in with the school, as per the conditions of her student visa. Then off to the admissions office to get her student number, where she made the poor, young man behind the counter blush. After we were done with the college, we headed off to shop. We loaded up on hangers, food for the pets, a new collar for TimBit (the old guy managed to bust his collar on the trip here), and scads of other things we needed.

After a quick stop to the supermarket, I made spaghetti sauce. Julia requested a side of sautéd kale (with 'shrooms, garlic and onions) and we feasted like queens. After some TV, we called it a night ... busy day tomorrow!

6 Popes ...

It's a lazy, hazy Sunday here in Valencia. After arriving, we unloaded the car, settled the menagerie, and noshed on some fruit.

Jack's happy to have room to stretch out ... finally!

TimBit's found a cool spot ...

.... and Molson's found a temporary perch.

I started updating family and friends on the safe end to our odyssey and when I paused, I was the only one still awake; I decided to give in and headed for bed.

This morning was the first time that I've awoken to a day that was anything other than sunny. It's dreary and overcast but no one's complaining. The beasts are catching up on sleep (despite doing a load of it during the four day drive!), and as Julia put it, if it were sunny, she'd feel compelled to be outdoors and doing stuff - this way, she can catch up on rest. And so we have. Jack, who typically heads out in the morning as soon as I'm awake, waited until well after 10 this morning to even seen like he needed to be walked. TimBit has been a redheaded pile of sleeping fur, and Molson has found her place midway up the spiral staircase that leads to the loft - it affords her a perfect view of the entire floor plan on the condo and no one can sneak up on her and startle her.

K will be back from Vegas in a couple of days and hopefully, Julia and I will have organized this place and our belongings by the time he arrives.

California is another one of those places who offer personalized licence plates. (Quebec's slated to have that option in the fall of 2015.) Brandie♥N was a no brainer. 17 DAYS had Julia and me wondering though ... 17 days what? Since he got his licence? Since he got his licence back? Since he's been sober? Since he's been clean? Since he bought his car? Since he got out of prison? I wanted Julia to ask when we pulled up alongside Mr 17 Days at a red light but she wouldn't do it. *sigh* Now, I'll never know.

Earlier today, I was walking to the supermarket when I saw a woman driving a car with the plate "6 Popes". This time, I didn't have to wonder ... she looked as though she had lived through the reigns of the last 6 popes!

We're heeeeeeeere!

Everyone is safe and sound and seem VERY happy! Much to tell but much tired tonight ... more tomorrow!

Traffic and construction ...

... and yet despite them both, here we are in Grand Junction, CO.

The beasts are doing admirably well. Julia suggested that we free Molson from the cat carrier and once she got a lay of the car, she promptly found a spot from which to perch and was as quiet as a church mouse. TimBit has done what TimBit does - he's asserted himself as the alpha male among the pets, which means that Jack does what TimBit wants, when TimBit wants, and how TimBit wants. Julia's well and has helped with the pets and the driving when needed.

Molson - it's like having a sac magique that breathes!

Jack keeps making the mistake of leaving his seat beside the window - TimBit immediately stakes his claim to the place and then Jack is stuck in the middle with hardly any room to do more than sit up! Silly puppy!

TimBit spreads out in the backseat and Jack's stuck having to move over. If they were humans, TimBit would be the schoolyard bully and Jack would be the one minus his lunch money!

Me? As of this minute, I'm tired, and I just want to settle Julia and the pets in their new home, as opposed to a different hotel room every night. And that is what we're shooting for tomorrow.

Killing Fireflies ...

Well, we've arrived in Omaha. We're fine - animals are fine - but I can't say as much for the fireflies that splattered against our window at dusk this evening. Julia and both learned something today - the goo that was once a firefly continues to luminesce against a windshield after the insect has impacted, slowly fading into nothing as the seconds tick by. There you have it. Your National Geographic moment for the day. We're exhausted so this one will be a short one. Yes, we're taking loads of pics but I'm too tired to post them here now. But I promise I will - maybe not tomorrow either, since we have another long one planned for then as well. G'nite one and all ... I love you, Kevin and Jordan, and I miss you like the blazes! xoxoxo

Julia - étudiante officielle!

We have arrived! Well, we've arrived in Flint, that is. After a very late start, we drove like the dickens and made it into the US in the dark. Julia's been fingerprinted, photographed ("But I'm not wearing any mascara!"), and is now an official international student. The animals have fared rather well, all things considered. We learned that Molson doesn't tolerate the prescription meds meant to calm her - instead, she seemed to be hallucinating while rolling around in her cat carrier. She'll be back on the natural calming meds tomorrow for sure!

I'm exhausted, so I'll cut this one short tonight and expand in another posting another time. We're shooting for Omaha tomorrow with a much earlier start. Julia's already tucked in, Jack's curled up and eyeing me as I type, Molson's burrowed under one of the beds ... and TimBit? He's slowly washing himself perched at the head of the other queen-sized bed. He knows he's the king of our castle. We know it too.

False start ...

As I scurried around grabbing last minute things and placing them by the front door, ready to be crammed into the car, Julia texted to say she was on her way to the SAAQ ... and could I please join her in case she needed any help. I headed there, where the ownership of the Cobalt was transferred from her to the buyer. Then we headed to Julia's dad's, where Julia had stored her winter tires. Then we waited while the new owner dealt with her insurance, so she could actually drive the car away. Then it was time to start calculating ... by the time we would have loaded up the car and the animals, it would have been going on 1pm - much later than the 9am departure we had hoped for. So instead, we decided to leave tomorrow. Secretly, I'm kinda happy about that. Driving on an hour and a half of sleep is never a good thing.

The headless chicken that is me ...

I feel as though I've been running all day and gotten nowhere fast!

Went to the garage and had my winter tires taken off early this morning. Yes, I know it's summer but I figured that I would save on wear and tear on the all seasons since the winter ones wouldn't have lasted another winter anyhow. I dropped in on Sharon and Matthew for coffee and to some catch up after leaving the garage and then headed back my way for some errands - rations for the cats and then a stop at the bank. Came home to find that FedEx had shown up while I was gone and that now, I need to go to PAT to get the envelope. I'll do that on my way to Kevin and Myriam's, right after I drop off the larger suitcase at Julia's, who decided not to leave anything at the condo when we were in Cali in June! Then, I'll race back here and do some laundry, start medicating the cats, pack, and try to do some of the thousand of other things that still need doing.

Tomorrow, Julia has to get to the SAAQ with the young woman who is buying her car to get that paperwork sorted. And I get to see Jordan before he heads for work!

Curious to see what time we all finally hit the road ...

I went to see Kevin and Myriam one last time before I leave. I ended up crying all the way from Verdun to Anjou, where I forced myself to stop so Jordan wouldn't notice my red eyes when I went there.

"I'll be back", I keep repeating to myself. It's become a mantra of sorts. But fuck, if there's anything harder than leaving your children behind, I don't know what that thing is ...

Bye bye Corrie!

Sunday morning and I do what I do every Sunday morning when I'm home. I get up just before 8, let Jack out, and pop the kettle on. At 8, I turn the TV on and tune in to CBC for 2 1/2 hours of Coronation Street. (Yeah, yeah, I can just see all my kids rolling their eyes right about now!) Corrie ... or as K calls it - C-Street ... has been around since 1960 (yeah yeah, that's actually longer than Mom's been around, kids!) and has the distinction of being the world's longest running TV soap opera. I got hooked just before I had Kevin and apart from the years in Switzerland, I've been a fan and watcher since. Despite only waking up during the commercials (or the good parts, as he refers to them!), K seems to have quite a handle on the show as well. But I digress. Last time I'll ever watch Corrie in Repen. After the show was over, I popped in on Jordan to show him Molson's cut. He (and his cats) didn't seem very impressed but I'm still sure that Molson will appreciate not having all that fur when we hit the road.

Right now, I'm sitting here and debating on whether to tackle the dishwasher or the laundry first. Laundry - it'll take care of itself while I'm dealing with the dishes. Then the pharmacy, back to Mondou to exchange Molson's collar (yes, Julia - you were right!) and then home again to try to tackle the gazillion things left to do before we leave. And all the while with this pain that seems to have taken permanent residence in my back and this dull throb of a headache that's also decided to drop in for a visit.

Busy, busy, busy!!!

Yeah, I really overdid it today.

Brought Jack in to the groomers in the morning. Because Julia hadn't been overly pleased with his last visit there, I allowed her to school them on what she wanted done. We left him there and headed out to run some errands. Shopping centre for odds and ends, Mondou to pick up a collar for Molson and a leash for the cats, and into town at La Vie En Rose for some stuff that Julia needed. I dropped Julia off and headed to the groomers to pick up the pup. Although surprised at how short they'd gone, I think he looks great, that the short do will help a lot for the trip, and K agrees with me. Jack and I swung by to show Jordan and Julia and after some nonstop laughter, they both exclaimed about how horrible he looks. I still disagree. Jack also seems to love it - he was scampering around everywhere and just seems ... freer, I think.

Jack is a happy puppy!

Jack and I came home, leaving the kids to get ready for Julia's going away party with her dad's family. I sat here and thought about Julia's suggestion that I have Molson shaved for the trip; calling the groomer, I found that they could fit her in if I came straight away. Off we went! While we waited, I brought Jack to the dog park, figuring that he's race around and get it out of his system. Instead, he spent the whole time peeing and sniffing, sniffing and peeing. At least he was nice didn't try to mount the Australian sheep dog or the Samoyed who were also there! We picked up Molson and headed home. TimBit does NOT know what to make of Jack and Molson and their new cuts. And now, amazingly, my short haired cat has the longest fur in the house!

The darker portions are where her markings are - not the result of a bad clip job! And the glasses are there for perspective - she's always been incredibly tiny but it seems moreso now that she's almost hairless!

I spent the evening nursing my back and watching 48 Hours and Dateline. Murder can be SO entertaining!

Verhovyna ...

Postponed due to Julia's surgery last week, we finally made it to Verhovyna this afternoon. While I can't remember exactly how long it's been since I saw Oksana, I know it can easily be summed up as "too long". We spent all afternoon catching up and then Julia and I were treated to Oksana's mom's delicious borscht and perohy. It was a wonderfully nostalgic visit - Verhovyna always reminds me of my old country place and Oksana's mom is a wonderful glimpse of what life might be like if my own mom were still here. Such an enjoyable day!