It has been three years since I met my boyfriend at a gas station. I remember sitting at a set of lights waiting to pick up my ex-boyfriend to take him to the hospital to visit his sister and his new nephew. At that moment, I turned the radio off and looked into the sky and said, "I'm tired of going out with guys who are not good for me. If there is someone out there for me, then send him to me. If not, I'm finished with dating men who are not right for me. Until then, I will enjoy the summer and have fun as a single girl". At that moment, my car started to sputter. I thought, oh great my car is going to stall, its the middle of rush hour and I'm going to be stuck. So I knew there was a gas station about five minutes away where I could put the car, but it was a matter of getting there. I managed to drive into the station before my car died and there was Scott to help me out. When we both realized that my car wasn't going to restart, he offered me a ride home. Now normally, I wouldn't get into a car with a complete stranger, but there was just something about him that made me feel like I had known him for years. When he dropped me off at my house, he gave me his business card and asked me to keep him updated on the car.
That night, I sat on my bed with the phone in front of me contemplating whether I should call him or not just to say thank you. Well I did and he asked me out for drinks for the following week. I squealed with delight when I got off the phone.
The next day, my Mom let me know that she had gone to where I had the car towed and when she got in she decided to try and start it and the car roared to life. So she drove it to our mechanics to see why it had died. They did every diagonistics test possible and they found nothing wrong with it. So that weekend, my mom and I went to a wedding and drove around in the car in traffic and it was fine. No problems.
So needless to say, I believe that it was fate that I met Scott. Of course like most couples we have had our ups and downs but it has been more up then down. So who ever hooked us up, Thank you!
Well, this is the first summer long weekend of the year and I am looking forward to it. This is the time of year where gardening centers are packed with people buying earth and flowers to pretty up their house. It is also the time of year to have beer, bbqs and catch up with friends and basically breath. But to get that relaxation state, there is a lot of running around before hand. So for those of you who are running around, I hope you enjoy the May 24 weekend and have a beer for me. :)
Last night my boyfriend and I started my first swimming lessons. That is right. I never learned to swim. When it came to swimming during phys-ed, I always managed to get out of it. As I grew my hair, I stayed away from any type of water. I didn't want my hair to be ruined after getting it just right. So in anticipation of said lessons, I cut my hair short so I didn't have to worry about it. I like it shorter. Easier to maintain.
I was always good with floating on my back. Too bad, one can't swim like that. I have to admit, I actually enjoyed myself. I'm not quiet getting the hang of it yet. I have to get my legs coordinated and then my arms. But at least I didn't drown. So I will keep trying so I can go swimming this summer and maybe even snorkel.
I have been up north this past weekend and it is amazing how the seasons change. One minute it is freezing outside and there doesn’t seem to be any reprieve in sight from the snow we have received this year. And now as I sit here typing this, I can see the leaves beginning to bloom, the birds are out singing their songs and of course the Spring wouldn’t be complete without the black flies. There is not a cloud in the sky and it is the color of the lightest blue. As I was driving up, I also noticed all the Trilliums that have pushed their way out of the mud and grime that has covered the area. A dappling of white in a sea of brown.
Leaving the city, I also noticed all the people who are out walking and jogging and enjoying the sun. It is as if we were the flowers trying to push our way through the mud to get a taste of sunshine. I find Spring weather is ideal for taking walks, picnics, riding or any number of activities that have been hibernating along with us. As with the birds who are so colorful, with their yellows, reds and greens, so are we with the colors of Spring and soon to be Summer.
Well, after 2 1/2 months of searching we have finally found a new place to live. Searching and moving is definitely a very stressful time which I have never been aware of until recently. You see, I have only ever moved 3 times so far in my life. My family weren't really into moving every 5 years. I knew people who moved every 2 years. Oh the agony of that. So last year, I took the plunge and moved out with my boyfriend and left my mom as an empty-nester. Since I really didn't have a lot of furniture when I left my mother, it was an easy move. I had my bedroom stuff. That was it. Now, there is bedroom stuff, kitchen stuff, living room stuff, second bedroom stuff and his stuff.
So the finding a place part. I started early to make sure I found just the right place. So of course I enlisted the help of a real estate agent. She was great. Taking me to several different places, putting in offers and not getting the place because the other couple would put in more money and we weren't willing to spend that much. Then we found this really great place in Yorkville. But unfortunately, they owners backed out so again, it was time to keep hunting. Time is quickly ticking away. But fortunately, at the last minute, we found a place. It is in a nice building, and only one subway stop away from the office. Yay for us!
Now all I need it for someone to pack, move and unpack us. Oh, wait, I have a boyfriend. :)
A couple of days after my car accident, I was scheduled to go away on vacation to a little island called Dominica which is near Martinique. It is the same island where the Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed. I had never been to the Caribbean ever so this was a real treat for me. We stayed in this really amazing bed and breakfast where the owner/host was extremely nice. The most interesting part of getting to the island is the little plane we were on and how it flew into the island. We basically flew between these heavily forested mountains. My hat goes off to the pilots. Driving was another thing there. Here in Toronto, we drive on the right hand side so it was a bit unnerving driving on the left. I can say I have never seen a more winding road with a few potholes thrown in for good measure to perfect driving skills.
Staying at the B&B was heaven. Especially listening to the waves of the ocean every night. It was wonderful. The other thing I enjoyed was the sound of the rain. It would either rain in the morning or late in the evening. My boyfriend did all the driving since I had a bit of whiplash and wasn't confident to drive on the other side of the road considering that one had to be very careful when driving around bends. The other driver may not always see you.
So every day, we would go for a drive either to the capital, Roseau where we would have lunch and where I saw the Queen Mary cruise ship. That is one huge ship. Or we checked out the watefalls. I did a bit of snorkeling for the first time. (Really, all I did was sit on a rock in the water and put my face in the water. I really should learn to swim!) The best part of the trip was where we had a soak in a hot spring. That was luxurious.
After awhile though, I was getting tired of the dinners that were being prepared at the B&B, so we found a little restaurant a couple of miles away and would have dinner there. The local food transported me back to when I was kid and my Dad would cook something very similar. I also made a friend down there. She has the most beautiful smile. It's the type of smile that goes right to the eyes and you know the person is being genuine. We still talk on the phone or send text messages.
So even though my bf and I became sick with the flu, it was a much needed, relaxing vacation. I would say it is not an island where there are resorts or a lot of beaches, but well worth the trip to the "Nature Isle of the Caribbean".
I have to say that I am sorry for not writing more, but I feel I need to start doing this again. I was going through an old box and found a couple of stories I wrote as a kid. It made me laugh because I used to love writing. My imagination was so large I couldn't contain it all in my head. So I always had a pen and paper to write those stories down. So I'm going to start here.
Well the first thing since being here last year was at the end of the year, just before I was to go away on vacation with my boyfriend, I was in a single car accident. I hit black ice going around a curve and rolled my car. Just as I over compensated by turning the wheel too hard, I knew what was going to happen and braced myself. In slow motion, I could feel the car being lifted up off the ground, the windshield breaking and the side air bags going off. When the car finally came to rest, I made sure I could move my arms and legs and looked around at the carnage inside. I was alive and I could move. I thought to myself I should shut the engine off. Of course I started to panic when I couldn't open the window and I stopped and said "Breath". I took a breath and realized that I needed to turn on the auxiliary power in order to open the window. Once I did that, I turned the car back off, pulled the key out, dropped it, and climbed out. I was lucky that all I sustained was a bruised head and a bit of whiplash. My car which I called Pepper didn't fare as well. When all was said and done, I had gone through 4 months of physiotherapy on my neck and ended up buying the exact same car and color that saved my life. (It also helped that I was wearing a seatbelt!) I haven't named the new car yet. We haven't connected. But I'm hoping that I will name her soon.
Again, like being burned, I just remember after all was said and done, I could have lost my life or sustained a more serious injury. I have become aware of how precious life is and how every day I have to make sure the people I know are aware of how much I care for them. I also have to make the most of what has been given to me since it could all just be rolled flat by a rolling pin.
