Really Leaving the Beach Now!

It’s been a long time since I posted anything here, and I think this might be the last beach post here. We are moving … again … and this time we are leaving the vicinity of the beach, and moving back into the city.

A lot of new things are happening. I am starting a new job, and it is downtown, so it will be easier to get to work if we live near the Skytrain, our local rapid transit. From where we live now, I would take a 30 minute bus ride and a 30 minute train ride. one hour a day twice a day is two hours added to an already long day. So, the move will take out the 30 minute bus ride, and that makes it an easy train ride to work.

The new job. I will be teaching the Business Curriculum at a tourism college. Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Introduction to Computers, Communication, and Study Skills. I will work three days a week, 10-hour days, with Thursday to Sunday off … four day weekends! The college looks good, well-established, so I think this will be long-term … I sure hope so.

The new home. We are moving into a ground-level 2-bedroom condo. There are people above us, but the building appears to be built very well. It is on a main road, but not right on the middle of things. It is very close to everything, which Stefani is looking forward to. I am too, a little. It is actually right around the corner from two other places that we lived at a while ago, so while the area had changed considerably (for the better!), we are still quite familiar with it. The home is big enough for us, but not too big. We will have to rethink some storage and do a little down-sizing, but that is okay, we like that. the price is good, well within our budget, so we will be able to afford all of our cruises and Disney vacations!

Tomorrow we are off to one of those cruises .. Alaska. 7-nights from Vancouver to Anchorage, then 3-nights in Anchorage just bumming around and learning about the city. Who knows, might become our home one day

When we get back, I am going to work the next day. Then we continue packing for a couple of weeks, and we move to our new place. Pretty exciting stuff!

There is very little that I am going to miss about the old place. I think the proximity to the beach will be missed, as will the area. The work, the hassles, the people we share the space with? No, sorry, not a chance.

I am very thankful for our current landlords. Tracy and Cal have been good friends. Stefani has become especially close with Tracy. I hope that friendship can continue, and maybe grow, now that we will no longer be connected by the house. I don’t think we will have the same kind of relationship with our new landlords, but I hope that it is as open and friendly.

A lot of exciting things around the bend, it is hard to believe that a year ago I was in a job that I hated, making so little money, and we were struggling to get by. It’s been a little tight since losing my job, but I am very happy to be starting something new, and I pray that it is more permanent. It is nice to finally be out of the tunnel.

And the Rain Falls Down…

It seems that the rainy season has finally started. While I won’t miss having the water the plants every day, I will miss playing outside as often as what we have been.  Whether it was driving with the top down, going for a walk at the beach, or just plain old sitting in the yard sipping coffee … it was a good summer.

Seeing the rain on the window, the roads, and dripping from the trees, reminds me that I am a little sad. Not so much that summer is gone, but it reminds me of the passing time, and the time that has passed.  A lot has happened to us in the last few years, and a lot of it was not good. Losing jobs, losing our place on the beach, missing opportunities, and bad health are only a few of the troubles that have been dogging up.  Along with losing the jobs, we are in deep money troubles, and the new job hasn’t helped. Now, I am facing a decision at my work, and I am unsure what to do.  I have been at it for only a few months, and I can’t see it getting any better in the near future; as well, vacations requests have been denied, making us have to shift gears in mid-stream.  Trying to take two courses during this stressful time has been interesting, but I am coping … it is pass/fail, after all :)

On the bright side, Stefani’s work is going better than mine, although one of her clients is weird, and we are having troubles reading her.  I think she really likes Stefani, and wants to work with her, but is having troubles adjusting to Stef’s individuality … I can relate :) One thing, with Stef’s work doing so well, and mine not, when I see out of town career opportunities, it makes us think twice … do we want to leave the area, and her clients?  Something to consider …

Another bright side, my own health is great!  Not only is my back a lot better, I have been slowly and effectively losing weight.  I hadn’t really been noticing it, but after weighing myself at the doctor’s office and seeing that I was down 25 lbs (that’s back to my pre-stroke weight!), I started noticing differences:  a little more energy, clothes are getting loose, and when I am standing/walking, I can see my feet again!

I have been thinking a lot about the Kingdom of God, and while that is a topic for a different blog, on a different site, I want to leave you with this:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matt 6:25-34, NIV)

I think that is one of my favourite passages, and to me, one of the most important things Jesus ever said.

Namaste

What’d I go and do THAT for?

Today I was going through some of my Picassa/Google albums, showing some pictures to a guy a work.  As I was going through them, I saw a familiar one, and clicked on it.  Up comes a picture of Hacienda Sidney, the place in Mexico that we were supposed to work at a couple of years ago.  Unfortunately, it brought back a flood of memories and emotions.  My work mate agreed, it sure was a nice place.

It has been a long time since the “Oregon Fiasco”, and while the scars have healed over, the hurt is still there, albeit not as bad.

Not sure what else to say.  Here is to a new life, a new career, and new dreams.

No More Beach

Yup, that’s right, no more beach.  I still say that life is better at the beach, but living in a park is pretty cool, too.

In case you haven’t been following along, we have moved from our ocean side beach front condo in White Rock, to a home in Ocean Park.  We were having troubles keeping our heads above water, financially speaking, and felt that it was necessary to move our domicile to a less expensive location.  Hence, here we are, living in a four-plex in a very quiet neighborhood in South Surrey.  We are in the top floor suite. It’s a 3 bedroom, so it is bigger, more comfortable, with wall-to-wall carpeting, bright, lots of windows, and nice neighbors.  The landlords are wonderful, and they love us.  We have made some arrangements with them to do some work around the place, things that will clean it up and give it more curb appeal, as right now it is a little run-down on the outside, and looks a bit like a rental … which it is, but it is in a nice neighborhood with other places that look a lot better, and the landlords actually care about stuff like that … nice to see.

So, we are a little farther from the beach.  We can still walk to it, as it is only about 10 or so minutes from here, down a trail and a big wooden staircase that offers some fantastic views.  Takes a little longer to walk back, since then it is all up the stairs!  But it is good exercise, and it isn’t nearly as painful as walking up 2 blocks from the beach in White Rock!

 

Work is going okay, and although more hours and more money would certainly be nice, I know that it is a start, as long as I can be patient and satisfied with just surviving.  I am hoping that something else will come along that is part time, that can work around the weird retail schedule that I am working, and maybe pays a little more, to help things move along for us financially.  We have had to curtail our spending quite a bit, and it is a little strange not having money, and having to be so concerned about buying a cigar or a coffee or going out for a meal.  Stefani has been a trooper, though, and is working extra hours, doing work she would rather not do, like retail.  But I know that she is enjoying it … she is like me though, would rather not work as much.  Although right now I would rather be working more …

So, if you are in the area, drop on in, or let me know when you are in Crescent Beach, and I will try to meet you at Wired Monk for a coffee or something.

Bye for now!

Geocaching

Stefani and I, with a little encouragement from her sister Andrea and nephew Owen, have gotten into something called Geocaching.  According to the official Geocaching website, “geocaching is a real-world outdoor treasure hunting game. Players try to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, using GPS-enabled devices and then share their experiences online.”  Basically, it is like a global game of hide and seek, except you aren’t hiding people, you are hiding a cache of stuff.  The cache can be as small as a 35mm film container, and as large as a Rubbermaid™ container.  You can hide it in a tree, a hollowed out log, under a rock, in a bush … anywhere, as long as you don’t have to dig for it.  The rules say that you can even hide them in space, although I am not sure how you would go look for those
Since starting in November, we have looked for and found nine caches.  The good ones are the size of a small box, maybe four or five inches.  The contain trinkets, like souvenirs, that people think are special.  The really good caches contain trackable items that are created especially for the purpose of tracking them, like coins, buttons, or keychains.  The caches are hidden and found using GPS coordinates, and you use a GPS to find them.  The trackables are registered on the geocaching website (as are the caches), and you make notes about them when you find them or move them, and where you put them.  You also make notes on the website regarding the caches themselves.  Sounds like fun?  It is.
While we were in Hawaii, we checked out four caches.  Two of those four caches were close to where we were staying.  Two of them were scenic spots; one was an old sugar mill on the northeast side of Oahu, and the other was a really cool beach that we likely would not have gone to, with turtles, a monk seal, and 12’ plus waves.
So, we have now placed a cache of our own.  Two things that we love in our lives right now … White Rock and Mickey Mouse.  So we placed a Mickey Mouse cache in White Rock.  Wanna see it?  Gotta join the club

August Already?

I can't believe it is already August 1st ...where has time, and summer, gone? And being stuck in bed doesn't help, as I haven't even had a chance to enjoy what summer there has been.
This was the weekend of the Spirit of the Sea festival. Many people have come out from all over to see White Rock put on some great shows, including fireworks, a parade, ane sand castles. Today is the last day to come out, and there are some shows and concerts going on all day.
It certainly has been a beautiful weekend, from where I can see. One night and morning of rain, but not until after the festivities were done. And today is supposed to be a warm one, too. Maybe I will get enough energy to hobble down to Annie's Market and say hi.

Flat out!

Tonight is Wings Over White Rock. It is a fundraiser event put on by the Canadian Snowbirds, the jets. Seen it a couple of times, but this is the first year we are around for it living right at the beach. I am sure the traffic and parking will be harsh, but from what I remember, it is worth it.
I hurt my back a couple of weeks ago, and have been laid up, flat out in bed (hence the title of this post). Currently I am at work, lying on the floor, typing this post on my phone :-) I hope to be better soon, but in the meantime, it hurts to sit, stand, and walk. If you come out to the beach tonight, look for the guy with the walker, lying on the grass :-)
This weekend is the Spirit of the Sea festival. We have been looking forward to this all year! We always go away on the long weekend, but decided this year to stay home for the party. Again, I hope to be able to enjoy it.
Gonna sign off now, my thumbs are getting sore.