There are a few ways to wrap up a crazy busy week but few better than Chianti and pizza with a fine group of interesting and engaging peeps.... We went to Bibo on 4th Ave which was ..... adequate.... the company more than made up for mediocre service and food.
We make pizza at home a lot - our own dough etc....so I know I have above average expectations of good pizza and this one was tasty but I wish people paid attention to the proper distribution of toppings across the whole pizza.....IMHO each slice should have a little of all the toppings yes?
Anyhoo.....moving on.......
Was up and at it at the crack of to Jazzercise off the pizza.....tough workout but good. Then Lindsay rode shotgun as we headed out to White Rock to pick up some cupboards for work and deliver them to one of the child care centres. We then headed to a planning meeting for a youth event at church and then home for 5 minutes before meeting Emily and Isabella and heading back in to the City for the always inspiring and lovely Circle Craft Christmas Craft Fair...... I love strolling the aisles seeing the amazing creativity of so many artists and crafters while Christmas music plays...... I got a few goodies - mostly some great toys for work!
I was SO tired by the time we got home. I have to say this early darkness is really getting to me....the long dark evenings seem so.....long...... and dark...lol.......
Allan had outdone himself and made a truly splendid meal with steak and tiger prawns on a bed of mixed greens with a side of sauteed veggies and crispy oven fries.......does he know me or what?
It was more than delicious and I was more than grateful to sit down with mt family, in soft candle light and enjoy a lovely meal.....
I was in bed by 9pm......Happy to know my Dad was safely returned from Kenya!
Sunday
5:45am alarm.
The day had come for THE LIST to be conquered. So we loaded Spanner into the truck and headed for the Border........A fortifying breakfast at Avenue Bread and then to Target in Marysville a little after it opened.
First stop luggage! Of course..... they only had 3 of the suitcases we needed but in a very surprising bout of excellent customer service they tracked one down on our route home and held it for us to pick up! Score!
We then hit the outlets as they opened and managed for about two hours - t-shirts, runners, socks, shorts, swimsuits, flip flops for Allan (in the most ridiculous moment of the day he chose a pair that were $24.99 but there was a buy two for $16.99 deal so they would not sell us one pair .... so we picked out another pair.....for $10.00...then we got both for for $16.99...... if Quicksilver quarterly sales numbers are down you know why!), quick dry shirts, a steal on some shoes and a couple other items.
By then the outlets were stupid busy and we were on the verge of "Hangry"...... the hungry angry shopper is not a pleasant being - add to that a caffeine deficit and trouble is brewing. So we walked the dog and turned the car north towards the missing suitcase.
We made it to Burlington and stopped at the first place offering food. It was oddly a place we had never tried called "5 Guys" a bare bones, fast food joint offering only burgers and fries........and self serve peanuts! There are no photos of the food because hangry shoppers don't stop to photograph...... they eat.
A very satisfying burger it was and although we only ordered 2 sides of fries for the 4 of us there were enough for 18 people.
As soon as the fat and salt and sugary drinks hit our veins we perked right up again and had another bout of shopping and located the last suitcase in our quest!
Final stop for coffee and we were on the road again to Bellingham - to Trader Joes to be specific. Always crazy busy but we had a mission and a very good list and we were done in 40 minutes - we looked like hoarders as we bought several of a few items to make Christmas baskets with....
We drove towards the 49th parallel as I tallied the damage and found we were only $5 over budget for the day......until I found the other suitcase receipt later...... but we were close ...... so close to budget and the border guard didn't even blink.....PHEW!
A long but very productive day that has me breathing a lot easier......
We had been home an hour when Lindsay appeared at the bottom of the stairs in her Halloween Zebra costume on and her suitcase packed and demanded to be taken to Africa..... seriously - she is packed and so efficiently!!!
I crashed in to bed at 9pm again.
Monday
Yay for a holiday Monday after that busy Sunday.
But oh no...... not for Allan and I .
Because we suck at sleeping.
I was awake before 6am and though we both tried really hard to doze off we declared it game over at 7am.
So frustrating.
We lazed in bed for a while and David brought us tea and cookies but once we were up I was on a tear.
We paused briefly over omelettes at 11:00am to remember the peace and freedom we live in came at a cost.
I, with help from Allan, gutted our bedroom, bathroom and walk-in closet......gutted, cleaned, dusted, sorted, threw out.....threw more out.......cleaned more......
No "before" pictures for obvious reasons and no "after" photos lest expectations are set that cannot be maintained.
Of course it feels fantastic now but I am tired and sore!
In the afternoon we picked up a used-bbq-smoker-thingy I bought on a local bidding site that Allan is most excited about and then we headed across the border to Point Roberts this time to pick up some stuff we ordered online. Easy across and back, quick coffee and groceries and home. I paid David $10 to shop vac our room while we were out and he did a great job and I was able to get the rest of the room squared away before dinner.
We had the last of out salmon burgers from the summer pinks and enjoyed them a lot!
And now there is finally a little vegging going on......movies being watched, books being read, there is ice cream and I am chatting with you!
REMEMBER friends - the short weeks bite.....beware and be safe!!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete