since jet lag is keeping us awake

Fitz unloaded his camera and found a few more gems...

The view from our hotel room at The Cove. 

Mount Boucherie (a dormant volcano) and the loathed houseboats.  

Last summer the mountains around West Kelowna were ravaged by wildfires. 

The darker area on the left shows the scorched trees. 

Another view from our hotel room (and Mount Boucherie to the right).

*hangs head in shame*

Despite buying a new camera while in the Okanagan and much to my mother's dismay, I didn't take very many pictures of our adventure in British Columbia. And I now realize that most of pictures I did take are of flowers, horses, and waterfalls... whoops. Perhaps I'll find more of the mountains when I unload Fitz's camera tomorrow.

Hardy Falls 

I can't wait to go back and watch the salmon try to jump up the falls. There will be pictures for sure!

Grape vines and a glimpse of the lake from Dirty Laundry Vineyards.

pete

Our neighbors rescued a "puppy" (I think he's 11 or 12) from the shelter. He became fast friends with Fitz and now when our car pulls in the driveway he jumps and whimpers until he gets some love. Fitz is always happy to oblige. 

the lists are taking over my life

Thankfully Fitz just nods and agrees when I ask him to participate in my insanity. 

3. Fashion show and outfit list

I expected to get some push back with this fun little activity. Fashion show? Do we really need to drag every blessed item out of our closet, try them on, parade in front of the mirror and make another list? Well, maybe not every item, but some of them will make an appearance on our fashion runway (also known as the foot and a half of floor space between the end of our bed and the wall). I have this uncanny ability to pack my entire wardrobe and still end up at our destination with no coordinating outfits. I am determined that this trip will be different. Fitz good naturedly played along. 

We drug out every suitcase we own and opened them up on our bed. One might think that it is optimal to have several different sized suitcases so you can choose the one that best suits the need, but for us it meant 45 minutes of debating the merits of tall and thin vs. short and squatty. Which would be easier to haul around the airport? Which one could better withstand the stress the baggage attendants so joyful dole out as they heave our canvas bags into the belly of the plane? We finally agreed on the taller red suitcase, but until we are on the road Tuesday anything can happen.  

The fashion show was fairly uneventful. Fitz apparently has this packing thing down to a science or he has thought about it way more than he'll ever admit. In a minute and a half he pulled five pairs of pants and six or seven shirts from the closet, laid them on the bed, declared which event he'd wear each outfit for, folded and packed them in the suitcase. This left me staring at my side of the closet fumbling for my favorite items. I tossed a few shirts in a pile, noticed a few I haven't worn in a while, tried them on, decided I really didn't like them and threw them to the hallway for a yard sale. Fitz kept me company until LOST came on and then I was left by myself with the contents of our closet strewn about the room. 

I cleaned off the bed so we could sleep in it later and closed the door on the mess... and that's exactly how the rest of the week has gone. I start a project and make decent headway, but the mess always seems to get bigger before the job is finished. If we're lucky, one or two of those projects will be finished before Tuesday and we can come home to a semi-clean house... if we're really lucky I'll end up on the west coast with shirts and pants that match!

look at me procrastinating

If ever there was a week when I shouldn't be wasting time, it's this one. We leave in seven days. Seven! I have lists of things I want to do, things I should do, and things that I need to do to ensure our house is still standing and doesn't smell like rotten eggs and sour milk when we return. The lists are daring me to get off the couch and start checking things off, but procrastination wins. I'll start tomorrow :-)

seriously

Dear girl who works in the fitting room at Winners,

Please do not comment about my age, my marital status, or the pants my husband may or may not buy. Talk to your coworkers; I am not your friend.

Sincerely,
the girl who pays your salary by purchasing things as this store

simply delicious

From Real Simple, a simple supper. So good.

spring

It's a balmy 75 degrees. The occasional cloud floats by, leisurely enjoying the spring-time sunshine like all the people below. The neighbors are grilling while Pete is lazing in the driveway, his curly fur soaking in the warmth. The sounds of hammers and saws and gruff men's voices echo in the distance. Someone will be enjoying a new deck this summer.

The weather has lured me outside and inspired a new project. Fitz and I (well, mostly Fitz) sanded and stained a little table set last summer. Our choice of polyurethane/stain didn't give the desired results, but we tolerated it since the table was repurposed as a desk and eventually stashed in the spare room. I've been itching to sand and paint it again, but the bitter winter weather and lack of garage space kept that dream from happening. Not today.

Four cans of espresso colored spray paint and we were underway. We only want one or two chairs, but decided to paint all three and pick the best to keep. There is a clear loser already (the one facing the table). The light pine kept showing through and I don't have the patience or paint to waste on it. Holla to the garbage on Tuesday. 

One step closer to finishing our home office space (15)!

all before 7:30

The alarm went off at 6:25am... it's not so early, but it's a time I rarely see. Fitz asked if he could hit snooze once... I told him if he pushed that button I was going back to sleep and there would be no trip to the bookstore. He was out of bed and dressed in 30 seconds. I pulled myself away from the warm blankets, dug around blindly for a sweatshirt and shuffled upstairs. I brushed my teeth while Fitz danced by the door. Why is he never this excited when I drag him out of bed on Black Friday?

Fitz begged for coffee; I swung into Tim's drive through and ordered a drink for myself as well. Bleh. I haven't liked their hot smoothies the past seven times... why do I keep wasting $1.43 hoping that it will magically taste better?

I was surprised to see a half dozen cars in the bookstore parking lot. The store appeals to a rather specific group, but it looked like all ten of us were awake and accounted for on this fine morning. Fitz practically skipped to the door... book sales are almost as good as Christmas day to him.

We scoured every inch of the store. Fitz found several books right away, happily tucking them under his arm as he moved from table to table. I found one and carried it for a few minutes and then put it back. This went on for 20 minutes; I couldn't find anything that was worth a commitment. And then I found a table in the very back...

Jackpot! Robin Jones Gunn books for ~$3 each. Since Fitz was set on his book choices I made him check every shelf again to make sure there wasn't another treasure hiding from me.  Nine books later we were certain that the store didn't have anything else by my favorite author. We checked out and jumped in the car with our loot.

Fourteen books for $60... it's a good way to start the morning!