Songs In Blue

Last night, Matt and I were frantically searching the grocery store for what you’d think would be a pretty common item: ice.  For margaritas. That were awesome.

Anyway, after looking through the entire frozen section, I asked a cashier where I could find ice.

“Ice?”
“Yes, ICE”
points in a random direction
“Oh, that’s at the end”
“Umm, thanks”

Still having no idea where the ice was located, I found Matt and he asked someone else…who didn’t really look like they spoke english.

“Hey, do you know where I can find ice?”
“Ice?”
“Yeah, you know, a bag of ice..”
“Umm…ice?”
“Yes…FROZEN WATER”

I nearly died of laughter at that moment.  Luckily, we found a ‘local’ guy who took us straight to what we were looking for.  Ice.  For margaritas.  That were awesome.

Matt has been buying a lot of clothes and shoes (4 pair in 2 weeks) updating his wardrobe, for good reason.  He’s been going to the gym, we’re both trying to eat a bit healthier and as a result (all bias aside) the dude is looking GOOD!

The only problem is that he’s become a little addicted to a certain brand…
Case in point,

And that’s not including what’s in the wash.

At least between the hours of 8-5, when I’d normally be working!  I enjoyed my first couple weeks of unemployment, but now I’m getting restless and frustrated and I want to buy stuff without feeling guilty.  Plus, I’m a very social person and should not be left alone for long periods of time.
I try to get out of the house for a few hours everyday, which helps a bit, and allows for some adventure.  Like today, I don’t know how it happened, but I managed to get lost in the middle of the city.  Go me.
Anyway, I’ve been applying for absolutely every job posting I see, so that improves my chances of landing one soon, right? RIGHT?
It’s Friday night, so I don’t have to worry about job stuff until Monday.  Yay!

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Tonight we’re going to a Mexican restaurant with a bunch of Matt’s extended family.  I’ve been craving Mexican (food) for a few weeks now, and I’m told there will be pitchers of Margarita, so it should be a good night!

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I know I’ve been absent from my blog and most of my family&friends back home probably thinks I’m dead in the week between posts, but I have a good reason….besides being lazy.  I was going to go self-hosted before, but that didn’t really go according to plan.  No worries tho!  I signed up, and have been working on my new site!  It’s very frustrating at times, so I tend to give up after a couple hours and don’t have it in me to pump out a post.  The site should be up next week tho, and after that I have no excuse but to blog regularly.

That’s my bed.  I’m not posting this picture for any other reason but to set the scene for what is so far, the most terrifying moment of my life.

It all started at about 1am, Sunday morning.  I had only been home for a couple hours and was sitting on my bed, typing off a quick email to Matt before I called it a night.

Most of you know I also share a room with my little bro (Chad), due to lack of space in my mom’s house and my stay here only being temporary.  His bed is to the left, and a few feet up from mine, since I’m kinda tucked into a corner.  Anyway, our room was extremely warm and humid thanks to the weather we’ve been having lately, so Chad asked me to open the window (see above photo).

This prompted the following conversation:

Me: “I don’t really like sleeping with my window open.”
Chad: “Why not?”
“I don’t know…I always get scared that somethings going to rip through the screen and get into the room, and I’ll be the first victim.”
“Uhh, ok….”

Chad usually falls asleep listening to his Mp3 player, so once our chat was over, he put his head phones back on.

Not 2 minutes later, I hear the loudest growl/snarl/roar RIGHT OUTSIDE MY NOW OPEN WINDOW.
I froze.  Chad heard it too, and ripped off his headphones just in time to hear me say in a frantic whisper,
“THIS is why I don’t sleep with my window open.”
As soon as he realized I wasn’t the one who made the noise (thanks dude, I’m not THAT loud), he instantly knew what was out there,
“Oh my God, that’s a freaking bear.”

So I’m lying frozen under the OPEN WINDOW, Chad’s in his bed absolutely FRANTIC, and we can both still hear the thing grunting and sniffing around right outside.
I have 2 choices.  I can either stay frozen, let the bear get in, and proceed to be MAULED…OR I can close the window.
In what felt like forever, I reached my hand up to the window and SLAMMED it closed as loud and hard as I could, hoping in would scare the bear away.  Then we both leapt out of our beds and ran out into the living room, only to stop suddenly when we realized every. single. window. in our house was wide open.
So we rush around closing them all (of course, Chad left the ones closest to where the bear had been for me), then ran upstairs to get mom.

At that point, I let myself start freaking out.  I had so much adrenaline going through me and my legs were shaking so bad, I thought I would fall over…but I was also laughing!  Even though I was scared out of my mind, it was probably the most fun I ever had too.  Chad dealt with his rush in the same manner as he usually does, by talking…A LOT!

Once we got back to our room, Chad asked me how I worked up the nerve to close the window, cause he didn’t think he would be able to do it.  I reassured him that it wasn’t that easy, and I nearly wet myself in the process, but it was a hell of a lot better than the alternative.

I can’t count the number of times I said that to WHOEVER WOULD LISTEN this weekend.  But seriously, she is.  You know who else is awesome?  Grandma’s sister, Nancy. 

They’re both so awesome, I just had a momentary loss of words while thinking of their awesomeness.

We spent a lot of the weekend just hanging out.  One night, a few of Grandma’s friends came over for dinner, which turned into one of the funniest evenings I’ve been a part of in a very long time. 
My fear of getting old is completely gone after hearing some of the conversations, and seeing how much fun they were having. 
There was even a debate as to which one of us kids was going to be the ‘designated driver’.  Chad, Courtney, and I all won that one and walked one of the ladies home after dinner was over.  In her defense, her husband just died and I felt really bad for her after we dropped her off.  I think I may even get her email from Grandma and keep in touch.

I think as we’ve gotten older, Grandma’s become less censored. Now, she virtually ignores any and all of mom’s ‘Don’t-you-dare-’ looks, leaving us kids (and mom) in shock but extremely amused.
It’s fun seeing your mom, embarrassed by her mother.

For someone who has been through so much in her life, she is one of the most positive people I know.  She is unwavering in her opinions, but says what’s on her mind without any form of judgement.  She’s real, honest, and believes in the best of people.

I want to be like her when I grow up.

Grandma, Mom, Me, Nancy, and Courtney

A few days ago, I got my hair cut (and it looks great)!  My stylist is the only person I trust to hold a pair of scissors to my head, plus she’s my age so we have lots to talk about.
While I was there, she told me that she’s ENGAGED!  That’s another one…who’s keeping count??  Seriously.
Anyway, that’s not what I want to talk about.

One of our conversations left me a little stunned and quite amused.  So this is for Matt, who I know will start ranting once he reads this, just like I do when someone asks if I, being from Canada, live in an igloo.

Stylist: “So, what language do they speak down there?”

Me: “Seriously? English.”

“Well that’s easy for you then eh?  What’s your boyfriend’s name?”

“Matt.”

“Wow, that’s a normal name…does he have like a New Zealand name too?”

“No…it’s just Matt.”

“Oh.  So is it hard to get into the country?”

“Well, I got my plane ticket and visa all sorted…but I have to do this like Maori-tribal-haka-war dance-thing before they’ll actually let me into the country.  So, fingers crossed!”

*blank stare*

“Yeah…I’m kidding.”

It’s dark, cold, and raining like crazy…in the middle of ’summer’.
I don’t mind the weather, just wish I could be somewhere else to enjoy it. 
You know, like curled up in bed, watching Grey’s Anatomy, with a big plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and, idealy, I’d be in New Zealand.
I’ve been trying to not focus on being in NZ so I can enjoy the last month(!) I have in Canada…but today, I don’t care.
I’m a sappy, girly, whiny mess and loving every minute of it.

Sleep has been interesting in the last week.  I am sleeping, but it’s not a deep sleep that leaves you all nice and refreshed.  Because of that, I’m beyond exhausted, which is actually pretty entertaining.
A few days ago, while still sleeping, I carried on a conversation with Chad…for 10 minutes.  By the end, I was in this state of being semi-aware of what I was saying, while having no control over the words leaving my mouth. 
Chad filled us in on highlights of what I said:

“CANDY!”
“They won’t let me work…I’m too strong…and fast”
“SHUT UP! I’m trying to tell you about my dream…”
“You must think I’m crazy…”

One night, I should record myself while I’m sleeping…I’m sure it would be an interesting watch.

Hannah did this meme last week and although she didn’t necessarily tag me, I thought I’d play along.

A. Attached or Single? I’m not literally ‘attached’ seeing as we live an ocean apart (only 35 more days), but I am very much taken.

B. Best Friend? Not including Matt, cause that’s kinda a given…it’s a bit of a toss up between Danielle and Marissa.  You girls can fight it out

C. Cake or pie? I only enjoy one kind of each. Chocolate Cake or Lemon Meringue Pie.

D. Day of choice? Sunday.  It just has a nice, relaxed feel to it…until about 8pm when you start realizing that you have to go back to work the next day.  Monday = EVIL!

E. Essential Item? Depends on how essential you want to go!  Running water/food/shelter/deoderant aside? My laptop.

F. Favorite color? Green

G. Gummy bears or worms? Worms…I feel bad for the bears, they’re too cute to be eaten.

H. Home town? I was born in Prince Rupert, but I’d probably call Gibsons my hometown.

I. Favorite Indulgence? This particular type of fizzy sour cola bottle.  The last time I found it was in NZ and only at Woolworths (they’re the real reason I’m going back…kidding!)

J. January or July? Wherever it’s summer! Jan in NZ and July in Canada!

K. Kids? None, currently (or for a loooong while), no matter what Marissa tries to tell you.  For the last time, I did NOT go travelling for 9 months because I was pregnant!

L. Life isn’t complete without? Not to sound too cliche here, but I’m going to go with faith & love.

M. Marriage date? “The distant future…the year 2000″ Oh, how I love me some Flight of the Conchords.

N. Number of brothers/sisters? 4 of each

O. Oranges or Apples? I’m all about citrus, so Oranges.

P. Phobias? I don’t think my fears reach the ‘Phobia’ level, but #1 would have to be heights, particularly over water *shudders*

Q. Quotes? “But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.”
William Butler Yeats

R. Reasons to smile? Don’t really have any reasons not to

S. Season of choice? Summer all the time please

T. Tag someone. Sharon (if she’s up to it)

U. Unknown fact about me? I yawn when I’m nervous…which sucks because my yawn isn’t all that attractive.

V. Vegetable? broccoli

W. Worst habit? I start things and don’t always get around to finishing them.

X. X-ray or Ultrasound? Weird question…I’ve only ever had an Xray and didn’t like it, so neither.

Y. Your favorite food? Meat.

Z. Zodiac sign? Libra, although I couldn’t tell you what that means or care any less about it.

So, you’ve heard my version, and I promise this won’t be the only topic on my blog for the next 2 months.  But it would be a crime to humour to not put this up.  We had ask our parents to write support letters for my application for a work visa.  Obviously, I didn’t send this one in.

Hilarity ensues when witnessing my mother’s rarely seen wit:

“To Whom It May Concern:
 
My daughter, Dayna, visited and traveled throughout New Zealand during November and December of 2006.
Dayna and her friend spent their time in your country doing some sightseeing, but their nightlife frequenting bars and hostels proved the highlight of the trip.

It was during this time that she met Matt – I think his last name is Baker. 

I of course only found out about him through a high alert of my daughter being missing whilst traveling in a faraway land, with the New Zealand police needing to be involved.
 
Thankfully in January of 2007, Dayna managed to exit your country without harm and made it safely to Perth, Australia for a six month mission trip.
I believe there was still contact with Baker through emails.

Eventually, Baker attended school in San Diego, California needing some psychology studies and the obsession with each other grew to the point where Dayna threw all caution to the wind and purchased a plane ticket, on her already endebted VISA, to meet him there.
At this point I knew she was losing her mind.
They spent a week together hidden in his dorm and she returned home to her beloved Canada, an emotional wreck.
 
Baker and Dayna concocted a plan for him to enter Canada and spend December 2007 as an illegal resident in her basement suite. 
 
It was during this month, actually on Christmas Day, that I finally (got my hands on) met Baker.  He appeared quite calm and relaxed.  Obviously, the visit was kept very short lest his plans became known to lure Dayna out of her country.
 
But, alas, that time has come, and thus this letter to inform you of the scheduled abduction that will have my oldest child leave her native land, with the intent of not only entering New Zealand for a year, but possibly for a lifetime.  SHE IS GIVING AWAY HER COOKWARE PEOPLE.
 
I know she is not in her right mind to leave Canada and I have the video of her patriotism singing our nation’s anthem robustly as a very young child.
 
I hope this letter will assist you in your decision.
 
 
Thank You,
 
Shona Stirling
AKA Mother of Dayna”

The next night, Danielle and I were going to hang out with JP until Matt was off work at midnight. Danielle was a little wary of how her time with JP would go and didn’t want to end up as the 3rd wheel with Matt and I. So we agreed that, if it came to it, she would go back to the hostel while I hung out with Matt.
He was working late, and JP ended up being a huge JERK and only wanted to sleep with Danielle. So I took her back to the hostel and said I was going to meet Matt in about an hour like we had planned.

Little did I know, Danielle was not in the appropriate state to remember things. And as a word of advice, leave a note. Always leave a note.

Matt and I had another night like the one before, but this time we went to his place to watch a movie. I figured I could be back at the hostel around 9am, before Danielle woke up. So that’s what I did.
Except, Danielle wasn’t there.
Apparently, she had gotten up at 7:30AM, realized I wasn’t back yet, didn’t remember our multiple conversations from the night before where I told her I would be back in time to book our room, and went to the Police station.

So, off I went to the police station to get her, luckily she was on her way back and I ran into her in front of our hostel. She told me that she had called her mom, who called my mom, who called my dad, who took the day off work cause he was so worried.

Awesome

I did some MAJOR damage control and Danielle and I were laughing about the whole thing pretty quickly. She even told me she would’ve been back sooner but she was talking to a hot cop.
She’s awesome like that.

We were only in Wellington for a few days, and Matt and I spent as much time as we could together. I left him a little note with my email and told him to keep in touch, then Danielle and I headed to our next town. I may or may not have shed a few tears as we left.

*****

Matt had wanted to do a bit of travelling and decided to take his last semester of uni at UCSD.  We quickly made plans for him to come up to Canada once he was finished there.  I didn’t think he’d come up for very long, but he told me he had booked his tickets and would be staying with me for a whole(!) MONTH!

Of course, it was only fair that I visit him, so after almost a YEAR of emailing and facebook stalking, I spent a week with Matt in San Diego.

It was a pretty great trip!  The very first night, we went to the cliffs, watched the sunset and ate Ben and Jerry’s Half Baked ice cream…talk about perfect.  The rest of the week was spent drinking Jumba Juice, going to the zoo, watching the WORST MOVIE EVER, and ”hiding in his dorm”.*

Then “returned home to her beloved Canada, an emotional wreck”.*

I haven’t even gotten to the good part of this story…looks like a Part 3 will be needed

*to quote my mother