Pond Hopper

Today is me & Wayne's wedding anniversary.  Two years ago today we were in Jamaica exchanging our vows (oh how I wish I was there today).  To celebrate, we're going to London this weekend for dinner & a play and we'll most likely splurge on a posh hotel for a romantic night out.  Our gift to each other is a painting we saw in a shop on the harbour.  The best part is that we saw the painting on separate occasions and both thought about getting it for each other for our anniversary.  I saw it a few weeks ago and instantly fell in love with it.  It's of a couple kissing on a park bench.  The rest of the painting is blurred and faded.  To me, the simplicity of the the painting speaks volumes on what it's like when you're in love with someone and how sometimes, it feels like there's nothing else in the world but the two of you.  Wayne saw it last week and over the weekend, told me about it to be safe before buying it.  It really struc...

It felt like forever since I left the house! With the bridge on the harbour closed for repairs this week (and the walk around too long to do by foot - in the winter months anyway) I didn't leave the house for a week and was starting to feel like a recluse! Yesterday, we ran some errands (I have to wait until the weekend to run a lot of errands since I don't drive) and then went into town to look around in the shops. I didn't need to buy anything, but was glad to be amongst the living! Last night we walked to the harbour (a few minute walk from our house) to try a new Italian restaurant and have a few drinks at the pub. I needed a night out and really enjoyed it. Dinner was excellent and I couldn't believe how reasonable - 40 pounds for dinner with starters, a bottle of wine, coffee and desert! Where in England can you do that?? The service was good to except, the waitress was checking out my husband all night. It's shocking how often woman openly do that sort of thi...

I know I've been really quiet since the 'American Special' aired. I guess it got me down and I've been withdrawn. I just can't help but take it personally. I think I've seen it as another rejection by this country. I know it would be so much different if I had a circle of friends here that have made me feel welcome and accepted, but I've been here 2 and a half years now and it never happened. What's really sad is that the only friend I do have here is someone I had to pay to get to know me. What I mean is that my personal trainer and I have become more friends than anything else (I stopped paying him 5 months ago). He's a big support in trying to stay healthy and strong with my medical condition. The days we meet at the gym, he's also my pseudo girlfriend and we talk about all the things I wish I could talk to my girlfriends about on a regular basis. 3 days a week for a couple of hours, I get to feel normal until Wayne gets home from work. The re...

Last night, the BBC's television programme, Top Gear aired their 'American special'. During the show the presenters went on a moronic road trip from Florida to New Orleans. Along the way, they found a way to insult the entire nation by blatantly saying that we're all fat and stupid. They then went on to depict us to be Red neck, bible banging, gun-toting murders. On this road trip, they stopped in a small town in the deep-south and wrote (in very bright large lettering) inflammatory things on the each other's cars to see who can get the other 'shot' by the locals. The end result was getting chased away and pelted with stones by shirtless men driving in the back of a pickup - What happened may not have happened if not for the fact that they were foreigners clearly trying to upset the people who lived there by being as disrespectful as possible (click the link to see a clip of this on YouTube) . I may have tried to stone them too if I was there to witness such...

Since the cold weather started, I've been struggling with working out. Because of the pain from my arthritis, I find it hard to workout without Dan (my trainer). I've put back on a lot of the weight I lost and it's been really difficult for me to get through a workout on my own. I found a website ( iamplify.com )that has audio workouts that you can download listen to while doing the bike, treadmill, cross trainer (aka Elliptical machine) etc etc... For the past two days, I've been using them. One for the bike and the other for the Elliptical machine. They've been really good. It just gives me that push I really need right now to get through the workout. I just thought I'd share the site just in case anyone else might be going through the same kind of thing or is just looking for something different as a workout.

Continuing with the theme of embarrassing moments- From 3rd to 7th grade I had a massive crush on one of my brother's best friends, Bobby. I was infatuated with him. He was 3 years older than me and I was nothing more to him than Ray's little sister, but in my eyes -he was a star. When I was 12, my friends and I went to the movies with my brother and Bobby. I couldn't believe I got to hang out with him - It was a dream come true! My friends and I primped for hours before leaving -making sure we looked just right for the big day with Bobby. I'll never forget it - we went to see Mr. Mom with Michael Keaton. At some point during the movie, my friends got up to go to the bathroom or the snack bar and while they were gone, Bobby sat in the seat next to me. I was in shock! He leaned over to talk to me and I didn't do much more than giggle. Then, just as I was taking a sip of my soda, he put his arm around me. The shock of it made me choke on my drink and I began to cough ...