Time flies....

Well the last time I blogged was January 4 th and so much has happened since.  I had tried to write before but I couldn't get on with my password but today was my lucky day.  It worked like a charm.

Had a wonderful Christmas and spent time with Kevin and Allen, did crossfit and nearly died but who knew, I survived.  I left for Ottawa on January 9th to meet my older brother.  I came down the escalator at the airport and there he was.  Waiting for me with open arms.  I felt safe when we hugged, just as if he had been there all my life.  Touching him, looking at him...it was real.  He definitely was the missing link in my heart.  For all that know Diane, Philippe and I, you would feel as if you knew him also and had always been a part of our family.  I continue to thank God and Maman every day for this gift.  And if that wasn't enough, you should meet my sister-in-law Hélène.  She is just like one of us.  We had great laughs.  Poor her, we went out for Marc's birthday and all of a sudden Hélène had this pain in her stomach so I went to check on her in the bathroom and there she was bent in two.  Of course I didn't help matters by telling her, Hélène, I won't let you go out bent in two like this, I'll bend in two also and we'll go back to our seats and you won't feel as bad.   I just felt at home.  My niece Mireille and my nephews Daniel and JP are adorable.  They like me.  Well, they looked like they did.  I guess they were brought up to be polite, hahaha.  The time went by fast.  While I was in Ottawa, I went out for supper with past guides and 23 showed up and there was a storm.  I had Marc, Hélène and Mireille with me.  I also stayed a night with André and Christi and it's as if I had just seen them the day before.  André as gentleman as ever and Christi as sweet as ever.  And then, just like that, I was back in France with another 15 guides and a new session. 

At the end of January I went to Oslo, Norway with my 2 travelling buddies, Renée and Arlene.  It was Renée's mystery trip.  I fell in love with Oslo.  It is known as the happy place and let me tell you they are happy.  We ended up at karaoke with lovely people that sure could sing.  I have never met people as friendly as in Oslo.  They invite you to their table, they talk to you, but that might be the drinking.  However, Norway reminds me of Canada.  There was snow and the houses are made of wood.  Then Allen arrived for 2 weeks and plugged my kitchen sink.  He put noodles down the drain but that's OK, at least it wasn't my computer.  Our 3rd mystery trip was for Arlene and we went to Berlin.  Allen and I stayed a few extra days .  Berlin was not what I expected.  There is a lot of history but no real old buildings as it had been destroyed.  I saw the Berlin Wall or what is left of it. They are forever building things but it still was very nice.  Allen left on a Sunday then I had company of Monday.  Julie Gagnon who was Kevin's teacher in grade 5 and 7, her daughter Alison and Julie's father Marcel.  Now I only found out her father's name the day before they left.  I called him Monsieur Gagnon all week and it's just because they gave me a book and they all signed it and I said oh, so your name is Marcel.  It was so nice having them here but poor Monsieur Gagnon, I put him to work the night they arrived.  Remember when I said Allen plugged the sinks with noodles, well the noodles decided to expand to 10 times the size and they sure were not letting any water down that drain.  Good thing Marcel was there, he took everything apart and fixed it.  I cleaned the noodles out.  Damn Kraft Dinner.  So they left on Saturday, March 15 which by the way was Ste-Louise Day.  It feels good having a day in your honor.  Well I might not be a Saint, actually I know I'm not a Saint but I'm a Louise.  However, they left and yesterday then Mirjam and Johannes arrived for the week.  It was so nice to have them around.  We went to Amiens for a day, then another day we went to Lille.  Mirjam made my favorite supper, stuffed peppers.  I even had one left over.  We went to Vimy and I introduced them to the guides.  Some guides asked me after if they were girlfriend and boyfriend.  Funny.  I said no, brother and sister and I told them how cute Dominik, her boyfriend was.  Johannes is a very good catch too.

Well I started this post way back in March when Mirjam and Johannes were here and I then put it aside and just getting back into it tonight.  Much has happened.  We had our 97th Vimy Ceremony on April 9th, then Renée left and I drove her to the airport.  It was sad seeing her go.  She sure knew how to organize trips, read a map and get us places.  Arlene and I went to Paris overnight and everytime she would say, I THINK IT'S THIS WAY, it was the other way.  We managed to get lost quite a bit but we saw lots by doing that.  Allen was here for 2 weeks and just left today.  We went to Prague.  We managed to miss our plane sitting at one or two gates away.  NOT MY FAULT.  Both were going to Prague but with different Airlines.  When we were standing in line with the others to board the plane, a man saw our boarding pass and said, wrong Airlines, you're at the other one just beside.  We ran, the plane was still there and the girl at the gate would not let us through.  She said, oh that's too bad, you were the only two missing.  We cancelled your ticket.  WHAT... I pleaded, said we were on our honeymoon  ( think she looked at my ring and saw that it wasn't shinny), NO, she said.  Go to Customer service.  This was the Sunday and nothing was flying out until the Tuesday.  To say that poor Allen didn't feel bad would be lying.  I didn't help matters, I made him walk behind me and rented a hotel room in Paris with twin beds.  OK, stop saying that I am cruel.  He admitted that it was his fault but I just said, well we'll try tomorrow.  Poor man was up all night on the IPAD trying to figure out a way to get to Prague before Tuesday.  By golly he did.  Found us cheap tickets and we left the next day, which was Monday.  Sometimes you have to give those men guff (is this a word), anyway we had a wonderful 5 days there in the pouring rain, not being able to get off the tarmac in Paris for over an hour because of thunder and lightning, then being stuck on the Hop on Hop off bus because again, thunder and lightning but all in all it is a beautiful city and I will be going back.

Are you tired of reading yet.  Just a little more.  So we got back from Prague last Saturday and Allen's friend Tom (he had been here last year), arrived for the week.  Very well planned because Monday I came down with strepthroat and was in bed from Monday until Thursday, which when I woke up I had lock jaw on my left side.  So at least Tom was here to entertain Allen and I could rest.  Tom left Friday and Allen left this morning so it's Ella and me again until my vacation.   

I will finish my blog for tonight and I don't think that it is very interesting but my next blog will be FOR WOMEN ONLY.  Men if you read it, you have been warned.  It's about women things and medication and body parts so I would probably refrain from reading it. 

OH big news, Kevin is a Godfather to his friends Shaun and Ashley's new baby boy Mackenzie.  He sure is proud of this.  He already told me what he ordered Mack and it's pretty cute.  I'm looking for little bérets and a stuff baguette.

So on this note, I will continue to roast in this 40 degrees apartment trying to get better for work tomorrow.  Ella is enjoying running and jumping at every fly that comes in and goes back out.  I tell you, these flies are trained.  I haven't seen this new session of guides too much.  I was going to bribe them with croissants and chocolat bread tomorrow for our meeting but again, it's a French Holiday.  They have like 5 in May.  I am very jealous of my friend Sophie.  OH another big news, I bought a car (second hand) but still a car.  I should get it on the week-end.  I hope I remember how to drive standard.

Have a good night and talk to you soon, I promise.  Here are a few pictures of Prague.

 I found this big snail.  Couldn't believe the size.  Poor thing, I pushed him back to the other side of the sidewalk. It probably took him days to get where I found it.  Oh well, exercise is good for you.  Not that I would know.

 Now this beer is special.  Doctors will tell their patients who have belly aches to drink one of these.  I did. 

 This is the view of Prague from the Castle.  It was a long walk up, with stairs and all.

 This is the Eiffel Tower of Prague, not the real name but is the tenth of the one in Paris.

My session at CrossFit...

Before I tell you about my day at Crossfit, I must tell you that yesterday, I spent 5 hours at outpatient.  I'm not feeling that great and it's lasting quite long, so Go to Out Patient Allen says or I'll tell Kevin and he'll bring you.  Because I have been out of the country for more than one year, I have to pay if I go see a doctor in Charlottetown.  Well.....just to see a doctor cost me $684.00, and that was no tests or xrays.  Those were extras.   WHAT I said.  So I asked which doctor was on call.  When she told me, I thought, oh he is cute, yup, it was totally worth the money.  However, after 5 hours waiting, then asking when my turn was, she said well, come back in 2 hours.  So I did and when I got there she said, ah.....it will be another 3 hours at least.  Well I took my money and ran.  Yes they did reimburse me but this is why Insurance is so important.  My International insurance would reimburse me but it is pretty expensive.  So I decided to wait until I got back to France to see my doctor there.

Now for the interesting part.  Kevin told me earlier this week that CrossFit PEI was having a free tryout on Saturday and that I should go.  Well you know me, I like to please and just couldn't say no.  I really didn't have a good excuse not to go, except for the fact that I was not feeling that great.  So I had to prepare myself mentally.  First I had to accept the fact that I would probably be the oldest, well I knew I was going to be the oldest.  I'm always the oldest so that wasn't hard to accept.  Then I thought, well I need a Sport Bra.  I can't be scaring people with boobs going North, then going South.  Well those bras do not come with instructions.  First you have to squeeze into it and that's a workout by itself.  Then how did I know that you should put a boob to the right and a boob to the left.  I put everything in the middle.  I had a crack or cleavage or whatever you call that.  Of course I only noticed after I came back home, that putting both boobs in the middle creates an oval chest.  I had one of Kevin's batman t-shirt on and poor batman was pretty well in 3D.  Oh God, people saw me.  It was not pretty.  Then I had to shave my legs because my workout pants just went below the knees.  Workout pants, like I have those.  No, they were just sweat capris.  When I got dressed for this, I was shoving rolls and folds into my sport bra and pants.  Anywhere it would fit.  This was a 4 day preparation.  There's work to doing CrossFit.  Anyway, we got started.  We were 6 newbies.  We did a WOD (that's Crossfit talk).  I think it means Webster on Drugs because by the time I got out of there I needed something for the pain.  Kidding.  No pain.  We did push ups, well they sent me to do them on the wall because I wasn't getting anywhere on the floor.  Much easier on the wall, then we did squats.  Once down I couldn't get back up so I didn't go all the way down.  Then we did a thing with a big ball.  Mine weighed 10 lbs and I had to lift it up over my head, bounce it on the floor bending my knees.  I think I was getting good at that.  We also did something with a bar but I didn't have weights on mine.  It's the coordination of bend knees, jump, butt out, lift.  I'm just not getting it right now.  The last thing we did was sit ups.  Good thing they put something for your back because I can't do sit ups.  After the first set, I was white as a ghost and seeing stars.  I felt like I was going to faint.  I couldn't let that happen.  I'm no quitter however I had to sit down and rest.  That was after 3 push ups and 3 ball thing and it was only the beginning.  I composed myself and the support group that I had was awesome.  I finished just like the rest of them.  I was proud of myself and I think Kevin was too.  If they had a BOX (another crossfit term, getting pretty good at this) in Arras, I might just go.  OK, I wouldn't.  Now I understand why everyone is on the floor moaning after they are done.  What a work out. Kevin had loaned me his Batman t-shirt because I'm Batmom.   It was awesome.  I still can't believe that I did Crossfit.  After I got home and slept for 2 hours, I felt better.  Now I understand why a lot of people love Crossfit.  The support and determination that they have, make you feel great.  I would certainly consider joining (in my other life).  The important thing is that I went, I did it and I achieved.  I was certainly not as good as the others but I worked hard and did my best.

Tomorrow I'm going up West to visit Claudette and Theo.  I always enjoy seeing them, and of course Benjamin, Melissa and Greg will be there too.

OK so that's it for tonight.  Time for bed.  Thanks for reading and will blog again soon.

Bird

Houston.....we have contact.

Well it took me pretty well all yesterday and part of today to get back on.  I could not find my password or username but perseverance and checking all notes I had on my IPAD, and my notepad, I was able to find it.

So where did I leave you all hanging.  I believe it was the rooster that is cock-a-doodle-dead.  That was in October.  Well no rooster vision since then however, every time I drive up to Vimy, I still look.  You never know.  He could have a chicken that has it out for me and that would be the answer to the famous question:  why did the chicken cross the road.  To get even with the one eyed driver that killed the bird.

Allen was over and painted the apartment again.  He did all the upstairs and it really looks nice.  Gee that man works well.  I always knew he was good to marry.  Those Souris guys pretty well know how to do everything.  I think that this will be the end of the painting for him in my apartment.  I think it was the swear words that he was using that kind of gave it away, and plus, he had Ella as supervisor and she ended up being yellow and blue.  Well I kid you not, the ladder was up and Ella climbed the steps and you know the flat surface where you put your can of paint, well Miss Ella was there and she was eyeing that top step and she decided to go for it.  So just like in the movies, she grabbed the bar, swang back and forth twice, went all the way around and fell to the floor.  Allen and I just laughed and couldn't believe it.  I think I will register her in Cirque du Soleil - A la Cat or Harvard.  She is quite entertaining.

Went on my mystery trip for my birthday which was in July but we went in November.  Arlene, Renee and I decided that for our birthdays we would travel somewhere.  We could either pick where we wanted to go or not know.  If we picked the place, what we did while we were there was a mystery.  So we went to London.  It was an awesome trip.  The first night they brought me to Wimbly to see a soccer game.  83,000 people.  Nobody I knew though.  I didn't think that a soccer game could be so exciting.  I was cheering for the wrong team in the beginning because I liked their uniform better but I asked the man beside me and yup, I was suppose to cheer for the white team.  Arlene kept saying the names of the players like she knew them.  Oh no. 4 is so and so, no. 10 is this guy, like really, you know soccer.  I was impressed.  Well not really because I met Guy Lafleur in person and sahe didn't.  My hotel room was the party room.  Renee and I are great dancing partners.  I have to lead though.  Arlene is the singer.  Then we went to see Let It Be - The Beatles at the Savoy hotel.  I knew every song.  And we shopped, and shopped and drank wine and beer.  Arlene is the only one that can hold her liquor, so she says.  Went to the museum.   I didn't meet the Queen though.  I was too busy and I didn't have time to babysit Prince George, again....to busy.

Came home on December 17th just in time for Kevin's birthday.  Now that I think about it, I didn't see him at all for his birthday.  He was working and I only arrived at 1:45 am.  I was in Toronto for 10 hours.  Made my way to the Maple Leaf Lounge.  By the time I left, I knew pretty well everyone in the Lounge, knew how to pour draft beer (there's a way to do that you know) for others, listened to a depressed woman that was going to Jamaica for Christmas as she didn't have any friends.  Well girl, don't look at me.  I have friends and I've already been to Jamaica.

Christmas came and went.  Again this year Santa was good to me.  23 gifts under the tree.  Still had the most.  I told everyone, next year, just wrap boxes.  No need to put anything in.  I just get over excited, out of body experience, just tearing the paper.  I become somebody else.  Natasha, Allen's daughter got engaged a few days ago to a cute guy Jamie.  That was exciting.  Catherine and Peter (another cute guy) were here to open gifts too.  Kevin tried to fool me again by putting jars or rice in my gifts so I wouldn't know what it was.  Ah, you have to get up quite early to fool this old bird.

Monday I am leaving for Ottawa where I will meet for the first time in person, my brother Marc, my sister-in-law Helene (sorry, can't find my accent on this computer), and my niece Mireille and 2 nephews Daniel and Jean-Philippe.  Everytime that I talk to Marc on Facetime, I'm in my pjs because in France it's 6 hours later.  I don't think he knows that I have clothes.  I'm bringing my finess to meet him.  And to add to this excitement, I will see Andre and Christi.  I'll be staying with them for a few days.  Ah how I miss them.  Hoping to see guides and Judi.

Flying back to France on January 16 where a new batch of guides will be arriving for the Winter session.  God I hope they like me.  It will soon be 3 years that I'm in France.  Time has a way of flying by.  My little Ella is staying with Arlene so not sure in what kind of shape she'll be in when I get back.  I mean Arlene.  Ella, well she's just a piece of work.  She was eating paint last week Arlene said.  I bet she is missing eating her bread and nutella.  No wonder she bounces off the walls.

Well I don't have any pictures this time because I haven't figured it out yet.  I'm darn lucky I was able to find my blog.  So on this note, dear readers, I will wish you a Happy New Year with lots of love and health.  My new year resolution is to blog as often as I can and keep you posted on my adventures. 

Nice to be back.