"An Intervention".

Phil and his mom went through two dressers and one closet today and ended up with two BIG BINS of clothing and other goods to donate to the Canadian Diabetes Association. It was HILARIOUS to watch the two of them bicker back and forth, as Phil tried to convince his mom that she didn't need 20 coats or 15 purses. In fact, Phil treated the entire afternoon as an intervention and after witnessing the entertainment first hand, I strongly believe they deserve a segment on Oprah, The View, Ellen, or......Dr. Phil. Hahaha - I am excited for the "living room cabinet intervention", the "jewelery collection intervention", and the "front closet intervention".

An Attempt at Romance.

This morning Phil and I decided to go for a "romantic" morning walk through the Hillman Marsh (this was partially inspired by a segment on Regis and Kelly). It is a beautiful spot where we ran and walked last summer and we were excited to enjoy the peaceful route we took before.

A few things went wrong.

#1 - I am unusually terrified of un-human things that walk, fly, and slither (ahem - not a huge nature lover). Well - two deer ran before us as we entered the conservation area. Giant herons and other members of the bird family were flying around. And Phil yelled "SNAKE!!!!" only a few moments into the journey. I happened to be wearing my heart rate monitor (just for fun!) and noticed that my heart rate was much too high for such a light walk. [Fact: I couldn't have been more frightened.]

#2 - We have never run into "bug trouble" in our previous experiences there. Nor do we have to fight with insects in Kuwait (i.e. combating them is not a part of our daily routine). That being said, we didn't arrive with bug spray and didn't anticipate the WAR that broke out with the deer flies! Our "romantic walk" turned into a prolonged tempo run, as we fought to escape "the swarm". It was OUTRAGEOUS!!!! You wouldn't believe how many flies were attacking us....it's as if they hadn't eaten for WEEKS! YEESH!

#3 - The lousy experience cost us $5 and a tube of After Bite. Here's what Phil looked like AFTER our morning of romance (keep in mind that this is only ONE of the affected areas!):



Perhaps we should stick to dinner and a movie the next time :)

The Warrior Dash - Official Photo's

Brother Bonding.

Last night, Mom P. was at golf and so we had a couple of hours of quality time with Stephen. It was AWESOME. Lots of hugging (Phil screams and runs away when Stephen attempts to make any physical contact with him), lots of eating (Stephen LOVES cheese and ate KD while we enjoyed a thai chicken dish), lots of fighting over the kitchen timer (I needed one to make my Pillsbury turnovers.....I am still unsure of why Stephen needed one to make KD), and lots of laughing (at Oscar, old family stories, BIG BROTHER, etc). And guess what else? HE IS COMING OVER FOR MORE FUN TONIGHT!!!!!

Thank you to the following people for their generous donations to Team Diabetes: Paula Boutzis, Nelson Baciao, George Gorr, Pat Young, Nanthiny Sundar, Tom Medwin, Barrie James, Rick Logozzo, Blair Fraser, Dave Drover, Anthony Posse, Yves Mayea, Michael Doherty, Jackson Wong, Ayman Maarouf, Rocco Damiano, Peter Patterson, and Richard Byrne.

(And a special thanks to Dad P. for all his hard work and support!)

CHANGES WE DISLIKE.

1) Having to dial "10 digits" to make a local phone call. SILLY.

2) Lea Michele and Cory Monteith graduating from Glee next season. BOO.

3) Stamps that cost 59 cents. HOLY MOLY!

4) Adjusting to humidity. HELLO HEADACHES!

5) Sleeping in SEVERAL beds.....none of which are your OWN bed.

6) Cars that don't have keys. THAT IS PLAIN WEIRD.

7) Facebook modifications. Too frequent. Too un-necessary.

8) Kraft Dinner's EXTENSIVE line of products (e.g. three cheese, spirals, alfredo, etc.). "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

Gone Fishin'

I have decided that this is my new "bad day" photo - guaranteed to improve any mood at first glance :)

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh - WE LOVE OUR JOYCIE GIRL!!!!

My Latest Read.

Eighty pages in and LOVING IT! It's about three gals who leave everything behind and go on a YEAR LONG trip around the globe! A perfect book for the summer :)

A Symbol of Friendship.

Lindsay: Hun, if we didn't have wedding bands I would buy us those BFF necklaces to wear.

Phil: What are those?

Lindsay: You know....the ones that split in half and each person wears a piece of it??

Phil: (laughs) Good thing we're married!

SNAIL MAIL.

Right now we are opening our "yearly mail" - everything that arrived via Canada Post between last September and this June! One would think that the pile would be small and the process short. Notta. Even with electronic bank statements and a minimal number of memberships in country, we still come home to a BOX of mail. Luckily, Phil has taken on the role of going through "un-fun mail", while I have happily lent a hand when "fun mail" arises (examples: thank you cards, birth notifications, etc). All this aside, as I watch the "throw away" pile build up, I can't help but think of the Lorax and his truffula trees......which brings me to my next thought: a fun-mail ONLY policy! Not only would it cut down on paper, but it would amp up postal satisfaction!

Just something to consider. I think my Seuss buddy would be on board, don't you?!