Years ago, when the Vancouver won the rights to host the 2010 Winter Olympics, Chuck & I started sketching out plans to attend. Chuck devoured the Olympics and so loved watching it all. Being there in person would be a HUGE dream come true for him.
When he passed, I let all those plans fade away. That is until a week ago. High on the drama and excitement of watching the games, I realized that visiting Vancouver during the games was a once in a lifetime experience. One that I didn't want to lose out on.
The torch, the energy and the spirit were a mere 3 hour drive away. Never again would the games be this close at hand.
My friend Constance was jazzed for the trek and even had friends that we could stay with. And late thursday night, we were northern bound. Travel up and back was pretty uneventful with only one car wait at the border - both ways. Sweet!
What a whirlwind, fun adventure. We were greeted with typical PNW rain and grey skies, but our spirits were soaring despite being waterlogged.
There are way too many photos to share in one post, so I'll break them out into themes and create a series. The picture quality varies. Due to the rain, my pics were taken with multiple cameras. The SLR had limited usage with the pocket point-and-shoot and Iphone racking up the exposure time.
Keep on the lookout for my posts this week.
PART 1 - The Olympic Rings & Float Planes:
Vancouver's set of Olympic Rings was anchored in the harbor on a barge. We caught views of them from Canadian Place and at the Cauldron. It was invigorating to see. Usually lit in blue, the rings changed to GOLD with Team Canada gold medal win. Luckily, we witnessed both.
Being from Seattle, float planes are part of our culture and everyday experiences. It was wonderful to see the fascination they generated in the visitors to the region. Provided lots of entertainment during the 30-45 minute wait to the top of the Cauldron viewing platform.
POSTCARDS from Vancouver Harbor
Our first Ring sighting from Canada Place
Views of the Rings and Planes from the Cauldron waiting line
Constance & the Rings
Drenched with the blue rings
Saturday - Rings of Gold with Canadian Gold Medal Win
POSTCARD from Vancouver!!!
I'll catch you all up on Sunday when I'm home.
The torch is what I came here to see. And the town is going crazy especially in anticipation of the gold medal game in Mens hockey! Go USA! (spoken very softly in the crowd to not provoke a riot. I'm getting wiser with age.) Although if the rain stops tomorrow, I'll be able to wear Chuck's Team USA soccer jacket and show some love.
Go for the GOLD Team USA!
In the PNW, we've been surprised with a couple weeks of warm weather and early spring. The cherry trees are in bloom. Daffodils and crocuses are opening up to the world. We are happily dazed with this early reprieve from the winter grey.
Let's hope the frosts are kept at bay.
POSTCARD of the Cherry Tree at my home
PS - Happy Birthday to my sister Heather! Hope you have a wonderful one.
In spite of being ill, last weekend I snuck in much needed Aunt Nette time. Watched the girls Friday night and Sat morning to give HD & Mike a little couple getaway.
I love having unstructured lengths of time with the girls. We had a pizza party Friday night. A heart-shaped chocolate chip banana pancake breakfast was a HUGE hit. We whipped up a batch of sugar cookies and decorated to our heart's content. Then whittled away the rest of the morn traversing around our local zoo.
Even though I wasn't up to my normal energy level, we had a blast. The girls innocence and sweetness is infectious. What a beautiful experience that's been feeding my soul all week long.
Finally was officially diagnosed with Bronchitis this week, complete with a course of antibiotics and an inhaler. All my energy is spent by the end of each work day. Every night as I walk in the door and survey all the projects that need my attention, I have no will but to heat up food and prop my feet up on my sofa. It's pretty sad. Close to 2 weeks since I've seen the inside of the gym. Hard to workout when you can't breathe!
It's day 3 of 6 of my antibiotics. Hopefully by weekend's end I'll have the drive and energy to do more than rest in my off time. Laundry and organization are begging for my attention at home. My body is restless and pleading to move more. And the 2 weekend trips around Greenlake that I've managed is not cutting it. The only feather in my cap is that I've missed only a few hours of work in the 2 weeks of illness. Unfortunately, that is where all my productivity has gone.
Just need to remember that this too shall pass. And this level of inactivity is not my normal state of being. I'm just restless in more ways than one.
Anyone who has been single for any length of their life groans when V-day approaches. The day were your love status, or lack there of is on display for the world to see. And I'll admit that as a single gal, I had that same dread and hatred. Amazingly, it only takes one Valentine's Day done right to imbue the day with eternal love and hopefulness.
Prior to my life with Chuck, my timing was horribly mismatched with Valentine's Day. Either I was heartsick in love with the unattainable, newly broken-up or in relationships that eluded the need to publicly declare one's love (ie "friends with benefits"). Regardless of how I ended up there, each V-Day of my adult life found me officially unattached and feeling like I'm failing at a basic life requirement. Yes, that's a dramatic statement. But during those years, I seriously wondered if I'd ever find someone to share my life completely with. And it's from this space that I moved into my first Valentine's Day with Chuck.
Valentine's Day for us came within the first 3 months of our relationship. That passionate and mystical wooing period where each date brims with excitement and electricity. And in our hearts we already knew the dye was cast, we were each other's mate. We were just holding our breaths awaiting for time to confirm this emotional knowledge as fact.
Before I start into the story I'll let you in on a secret, Chuck ended up planning the most romantic, sweet and lovely night of my life. As I sit here years later rebounding from life's trajectory and all we endured, I'm so grateful to Chuck for being my first true Valentine. And no matter what happens for the rest of my life that will always be part of Chuck's legacy living in me.
Chuck did make one BIG mistake in all his planning, he asked me if I would mind getting flowers at work. So as Valentine's Day dragged on, when bouquet after bouquet delivered and none of them were for me, I sunk deeper into doubt, confusion and anger. Until his question a few days prior to the big day, I had NO expectations of flowers at work. I'd have had a lovely day looking forward to that evening. And to make matters worse when I was reaching out for reassurance of his voice, he wasn't picking up the phone.
After a long day at the office, I wrestled with myself on the bus the whole way home. He placed the expectation, why didn't he follow through? And then started the downward spiral of blame on myself for hoping that this time was different. Was I misreading our relationship totally? Was I out on a limb by myself again? All the evil doubts that creep into a woman's mind when a relationship is still in the formative stages and she's feeling vulnerable. Climbing the stairs to my apartment, I was deeply rooted in a fit of confusion and disappointment. Feverishly trying to shake it off and get my head righted for our romantic dinner date.
And then, I entered my tiny studio apartment. Immediately the disorientation of change hit me. In the center of my place was a little table draped with a crisp white table cloth and a creme and grey vase bursting forth with 3 dozen beautiful dark red roses. The apartment smelled exquisite. Various imported chocolates and a sweet card encircled the vase. Then my gaze wandered over to my bed and I caught my breath. Chuck had bought me a down comforter and made up the bed complete with 2 crossing long stemmed red roses and rose petals. It was intimate, romantic and so lovely. I burst into happy, relieved tears.
This time Chuck did pick up the phone when I called. He'd taken the day off work to create this Valentine. Trips to Trader Joes, Ikea, dry cleaners and back to my apartment to set the stage. He was so excited that he didn't want to talk to me until he was sure I was home for fear of ruining the surprise. So sweet, so thoughtful and so Chuck. In the end, I thanked my lucky stars that I did not get a hold of him any earlier. And learned a valuable lesson on how unnecessarily damaging expectations can be.
Chuck wasn't the only one that helped orchestra romance that evening. I had a few tricks up my own sleeve. Found a gorgeous and seductive red and black lace dress for the occasion. After some primping and makeup, I looked stunning. My gifts were a little more traditional - a pair of cards, silk boxers and a romantic CD. While card shopping I found this lovely card with a whimsical painting of 2 lovers sitting on the moon. It reminded me of "Fly Me to the Moon" and upon further reflection, the song seemed perfect for us. I loved that it was timeless, sentimental and bit old fashion like Chuck. It captures such an expression of love and happiness. I wrote out the song lyrics as a love poem to Chuck in that card. And while Frank Sinatra would be the obvious choice, I chose to gift Chuck with Diana Krall's version and her Live In Paris CD. Love her smokey silky voice and that the sentiment was coming from the feminine point of view. The whole album is very heartfelt and set an amorous mood as we drove to the restaurant.
Our dinner destination was also my choice. Serafina is a very well-known rustic Italian restaurant with fabulous food and such a lovely romantic atmosphere. We had an inviting little cozy table for 2. The dinner was enchanting in all aspects. That night Serafina become our place, our special place where we'd later celebrate engagements, birthdays, remissions and anniversaries. And there was a delightful four piece jazz quartet playing. At one point Chuck snuck off with a tip and request for them to play Fly Me to the Moon. That night is one of those magically moments in which time stood still and it's forever preserved as perfection. "Here, right here. I am overflowing with love and happiness. Remember this always."
We made our way back to what would become our home. Chuck had me sit on the couch with my eyes closed until he was ready. I opened my eyes to a transformed living room bathed in candle light with dozens of pink roses on the table. A rose petal path lead to a bedroom lit with dozens of candles, champagne, chocolate and rose petals everywhere. And a new matching down comforter for his place so I'd never be cold. So sweet and beautiful. Chuck had thought of everything. He even had his laptop set up to provide mood music for the evening. And we fell into a wave of love and romance.
I'll keep the intimate details to myself. A girl never kisses and tells. Except for the ending of the story. At one point Chuck glanced over at his computer and noticed something was horribly wrong. He misjudged and placed a set of candles on the shelf above his laptop which now were dripping hot wax onto his keyboard. A string of obscenities broke the spell and we rushed over to save the electronic. I whisked it away from him and soothingly set out to reassure. I spent over an hour picking dried wax out of his keyboard. Finally we got the poor computer to the point that only the D key was sticking a bit. Exhausted, we fell into a deep sleep around 3 am.
We each had very different stories of love coming out of our Valentine's night.
For me, Chuck provided the most romantic and thoughtful night of my life. All of those unfulfilled dreams of the past were erased and healed. I felt loved, truly seen, cherished and blessed. My dreams were safe with him.
For Chuck, it was equally important to have that perfect Valentine romance for I was his first true Valentine too. But the real story for him was that without a single thought or exasperation, I shifted out of my romantic evening to salvage his computer. And I worked tireless to reassure him until it was complete. It was in those moments that he felt the most loved, truly seen and blessed. And yes, it indeed was safe for him to dream of a life with me.
So with the finishing of my tale, I wish everyone a lovely Valentine's Day today. A celebration and remembrance of all the love ones in your life - sweethearts, family and friends.
Happy Valentine's Day.
And to you my sweetest Chuck ~ I am sending my love and this song to you across the cosmos. Today, I chose this version of our song with the added remembrance of watching these very fountains on our wedding day and honeymoon. Happy Valentine's Day my love.
Note - just clip on the annoying pop-up to make them disappear during the viewing.
ENJOY!
Looking forward to helping HD & Mike get a mini getaway date later today. Quality niece time ahead. Yahoo!
Finally downloaded the pictures from our outing to the Point Defiance Zoo a few weekends ago."That's a LONG drive" to quote an exasperated Mairead when we got home. Tell me about it, still can't get the Wiggles out of my head. But well worth the road weariness.
We had a blast running around the grounds. The animals were in a playful mode that morning. The polar bears were very active and wrestling in the water. So fascinating to watch that I didn't bother trying to photograph it. The walruses were frisky as well. Put all us visitors in a wondrous mode.
There are many milestones that mark the transition into adulthood. Driving, graduation, first apartment, jobs, moving, marriage, mortgage...
Yet there are so many subtle shifts along the way. And as I joke - I know I'm an adult now because I LOVE Alka Seltzer. As a child it was one of the most vile things I'd encountered. Traumatically choked it down hundreds of times. Such a scene it seared into my memory that I'd never acknowledge that it actually made me feel so much better.
A number of years ago, I realized through trial and error that Alka Seltzer Cold Medicine helped me control my symptoms the best without the overly medicated fog. And all hail the regular Alka Seltzer for aiding that hangover and overly upset tummy. In a twist of irony, I actually crave the stuff when I'm ill. Very cold water, plop, plop, fizz, fizz, large gulps and a few swirls of the glass and I'm on my way to feeling much better. I've drinking it down to an art form - left with no sediment in the glass or a final bitter last mouthful.
So here's to one more step along the road to being an adult. Alka Seltzer - thanks for providing true relief.
Finally was caught by the cold that's been running rampant through the PNW. Cancelled all my plans last weekend and spent it in my PJs getting a ton of R&R. Even slept through half the Super Bowl. Just to get sicker and sicker every time I awoke. Somehow doing the right thing without results made it all the worse.
Tonight I'm relying on a hot toddy to try and sweat some of it out. Can't hurt right! Hot honey, lemon, tea and bourbon work your magic.
And just to hit a girl while she's down, my mind has decided it's the perfect space to rehash some of the in-law stuff. For a few days it's been this lovely little loop underscoring all my quiet moments. I know it's that time of year again and things are bound to resurface. Reliving it doesn't bring any greater resolution or peace.
Just a little psychic reminder that I've more letting go to do.
Tonight I'm over tired of sputtering and coughing, and talking in a husky voice and fighting imaginary battles in long ago lost wars.
Let's hope both little bugs work themselves out of my system soon.
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