Embrace Life

the current | forty

the we're at the beach - edition

dateline: cape cod, massachusetts, u.s.a. edition @ 6:26pm on 26 july 2014
weather outside: a breezy 72F - and mostly cloudy
mood inside: ex. time to exhale! exams are done and all are quiet and exhausted.

drinking another glass of up-graded sauvignon blanc - i'm drinking california swill :)

eating an order from showtime pizza as cole was unable to locate much at the local stop&shop.

embracing the familiarity of all that is our summer destination of choice. as well as a number of changes in the house: new thermostat system, new carpeting (the painful sisal is gone!), new linens and beds.

enjoying the sights and sounds of our annual visit to cape cod.

cooking as little as possible. focusing on mostly breakfast and lunch. out for dinner!

trying a new holiday plan - nothing. everyone is now independent enough to be on their own.

missing claire who is still in oakville - working.

feeling tired after a 10+ hour drive. but no more tired than mr. jet-lagged or ms. math course!

listening to american television. it is exhausting.

watching the watery horizon.

reading nothing at the moment, but a few magazines were packed and the kindle is loaded.

wearing crop pants and t-shirt. feet are bare. love summer!

packing er, unpacking. amazing how little we need to bring on our annual holiday now that the kids are older and pack for themselves.

planning absolutely everything. from the colours to every room in the new house, to the linens for chloé's new room (we hope!) at school, to cole's new room at school, to caden's new volleyball team - or organization. there is no moment not planned, or at least considered.  

stopping the regular apology for so much planning!

wanting to feel 100% rested and refreshed.

needing to drink way more water every day. not coffee. not tea. not wine. water.

wishing to be completely settled into the new house - with my bed!

waiting impatiently for the doctor to call back with my results. seriously thinking of just getting all the test results and taking them to medcan and be done with this nonsense.

thinking i don't want to think at all.

enjoying sleeping in a king size bed.

paying for neglecting myself for so many years. so much work ahead!

encouraging the kids to try as many new things as possible. they're going into boston to fenway. we're going to salem to check it out. i'm game to take them wherever they want to go.

celebrating our time at the seashore. tasty seafood. ocean waves. salty wind. pink and blue hydrangeas. we look forward to this time every year. so wonderful. 

cultivating a pace that i hope is sustainable through the year - or at least the end of summer!

marveling at how much caden has grown - he must be 6' tall!

anticipating some fun behind the camera.

and tada, a photo from my week:

beer, er, ginger ale pong :)

we're on beach time ... so i'm posting more than a few days late :)

hello monday | 130

enjoying our first sunset of the holiday. photo courtesy of chloé.

hello world. things have truly gone mad. this is the perfect week to escape the crazy of russia, the middle east, of all of it and just listen to the waves and soak up the sun.

hello massachusetts. it is a long drive from home to here, but the 90+ minute wait at the queenston/lewiston bridge is well worth it when we arrived 9 hours later.

hello sleep. the ocean air is wonderful for many things. i've shut off my alarm. so far i've managed to sleep a full 12-hours each night since our arrival. wow. i must have been way more tired than i thought! 

hello freedom. the kids are now of an age to go wherever they want, whenever they want. i can drop them off at the mall or golf course or just let them go to the beach.

hello salem. cole has asked to go to salem, so we've got in on the "to do" list.

hello zappos & amazon. love online shopping!

hello constant activity. tennis racquets. volleyballs. rugby balls. frizbees. fishing poles. all manner of outdoor sport. the wind makes things a bit more challenging.

hello camera. my "big" canon 40d has been in it's case for far too long. i'm looking forward to reacquainting myself with it.

hello food experiments. in the last couple of years i've used this time away to discover new recipes. i find much of the food in the states to be over-processed so we buy a lot from the local market and cook from scratch. some years are better than others. let's hope this is a good one!

hello monday. you are my most favourite day of the week. i love that you provide me with 52 fresh starts every year.

 

what are you saying hello to on this brand new monday?
head on over to lisa's blog and link up in the comments.

hello monday | 129

hello boys. after weeks away my boys are home!

hello girls. with less absense, the girls too :)

hello final exams. grade 12 world history for cole - written in helsinki! grade 10 math for chloé - written in a far less exotic locale.

hello baseball. miraculously we are here for a baseball game or two! i double-checked the calendar and it's true :)

hello "the good wife". i'm almost caught up - mid-way through season 4! i am so happy i decided against becoming a lawyer.

hello market. if anyone knows of anyone looking for a lovely freehold townhouse within walking distance to everything in town, let them know mine will be available this week!

hello autumn plans. vocal classes? volleyball training? musical theatre productions? so many options. it's time to figure it all out and get registration underway!

hello garbage day. we get garbage pick up only every two weeks. every-other-tuesday and it is limited to two bags! it is always so nice on monday evenings when everything clears out of the garage: recycling, compost, yard waste and those two big black bags of garbage. it feels so good to get rid of it all!

hello early morning yoga. at home. i've purchased some blocks, a bolster and a mat. i'm using my training from celina and spending my mornings with sun salutations - and more.

hello monday. you are my most favourite day of the week. i love that you provide me with 52 fresh starts every year.

 

what are you saying hello to on this brand new monday?
head on over to lisa's blog and link up in the comments.

hello monday | 128

hello wait list. so my girl has been accepted at the school she loves. we are collectively holding our breath for someone to drop out so we can get packing and moving!

hello pigs and grunts. the people least likely to change/evolve/learn lessons are often the ones most indignant when you suggest that possibility to them.

hello honey do boys. holy smokes are austin and cody fabulous! my new front garden looks lovely - and loved. they have done a ton of work and WOW the transformation has been remarkable.

hello cozi. i know, i know, google calendar is fabulous - except when it's not. the cozi application is so incredibly easy and is working well to keep our lives on track - with colour coding, reminders and ease.

hello writing group. gulp. going for it. i suppose this means i have to start writing more regularly!

hello world cup final. by chance cole was in berlin for this game. so much fun! memories for a lifetime :)

hello sorting and organizing and purging and sorting again. this really is the best part of moving. expecially moving to a larger place. now to remember to spread - not to fill in!

hello upworthy. always inspirational, but i really do love this message. and even more examples of owning and being okay with who we are can be found here.

hello logistics. europe. orillia. kingston. cape cod. toronto. so many moving parts this week! yes, i did check cozi to make sure i got it all right :)

hello monday. you are my most favourite day of the week. i love that you provide me with 52 fresh starts every year.

 

what are you saying hello to on this brand new monday?
head on over to lisa's blog and link up in the comments.

hello (online discovery) monday | 127

I am forever reading and researching online. I get regular notifications from some of my favourite sites. This week seemed to have more than the usual number of good things, so I thought I'd share them. That and the holidays are in full swing so there really is not an awful lot going on around here! The photo? Just about the only spot in my new yard with no weeds! Click on the photo to get to the Honey Do Boys (Austin & Cody) who will be here for a few days putting things in order!

hello reasons why i still "scrapbook". this is a very good article. a reminder why i should make more time to do what i love to do.

hello happy. yes. all of this.

hello happy children playing. joy. universal. connection. love.

hello new startups. i wonder which will be around next year. which will catch fire? which will die away? this is the kind of stuff i find fascinating. what is the next best thing? where is the tipping point?

hello grateful. yes. all of this.

hello hemingway. writing can be tedius. fun. challenging. frustrating. enlightening. and sometimes error filled. this app might just be a quick help!

hello efax. grampy and nanna have a fax machine instead of a computer. i have a computer instead of a fax machine. i discovered a service that will convert computer files to be fax-friendly. brilliant!

hello next year. i will have to remember to celebrate like this next july 3. very funny. and this flag infographic i found fascinating.

hello fitness. one of these apps holds the key. now to figure out which one will work best for me?

hello off switch. after years of hoping, can it be true? do people have an off switch?

hello monday. you are my most favourite day of the week. i love that you provide me with 52 fresh starts every year.

 

what are you saying hello to on this brand new monday?
head on over to lisa's blog and link up in the comments.

4 Simple Goals | 07-14