Welcome to 2010! It is a giant number isn't it? It feels sort of surreal somehow. Like we would wake up on the 1st to robots running the house and a flying car in the driveway! Of course as it turned out I still had to clean up the mess from the night before...sadly there was no Rosie here for me!
Matt and I were disappointed that we weren't able to sneak home for the holidays as that had been our hope all along. We did have a lovely time here though - it was a fun day exchanging gifts ( I got my very own wetsuit so I'm looking very forward to getting into the water with Matt finally and not sitting on the beach waiting!!!) and being spoiled by our families. If we haven't said it yet Thank You for all of the beautiful cards and thoughtful gifts. Everything was perfect and really made us smile.
Truth be told...we had decided last year that it was going to be our last traditional celebration and that we were going to get away somewhere warm for xmas instead of buying into the usual scene. We felt it again this year- and found ourselves laughing at how silly it seems...cutting down a tree and dragging it home only to decorate it with lights and sparkly things. How odd is it to just go out and spend all of this money on people for gifts at this one time of the year...for what? As much as we want to avoid it ...its impossible. Its a conditioning that we have with us from day 1 isn't it? Its made to be so magical when we're kids- and then when its time to make the magic for ourselves- something is lost. There are so many emotions wrapped up in the holiday- it makes us happy and sad all at once. We feel obligation and guilt. If we are alone we are made to feel extra alone...its all a very odd time in our year.
We vowed this year that it WAS the last one to be spent in a traditional sense! No more trees and no more gifts...no more eating and drinking junk until we're bursting at the seams! It will definitely be a time for family and magic but we think its time to re-write traditions. How do you feel about that? Would anyone else be interested in perhaps all getting together somewhere for a holiday rather than spending money on gifts and trees and food and drink? Maybe we could all chip in and rent a house somewhere warm for a week in December? I am willing to do all the research if anyone would like to be a part of it. We have a year to consider it!? Let's go and make memories rather than buy them. I bet its easier than we think!
Our New Years Eve was nice we went out to a beautiful Scottish Pub downtown for a 3 course dinner and drinks. The band was great and the theme was Prohibition so all the servers were in flapper dresses with feather head bands and the guys were in page boy hats with suspenders and rolled up sleeves. I loved it! The food was amazing the band was great but we hadn't really known how many people would be there. It wasn't very busy and at 1130 Matt suggested that we come home for 12 rather than sitting in an empty-ish restaurant. We rung in 2010 in our living room with a kiss to the Beach Boys version of Auld Lang Syne and then we danced and drank to some Blue Grass...Ruca didn't know what was going on! In our champagne induced bubbly head state we forgot to let her out before bed and we woke on the 1st to a lovely little mess right under the Christmas tree thus marking the end of the holidays! The tree came down and xmas was gone! Ruca has spoken.
We have made some resolutions for the new year...first of all- we have vowed to make some friends and increase our social life here...secondly we are joining the gym together - it sounds so cliche- but we need it and its close and cheap. Going together will be a great motivator as well and we both have a history of loving going to the gym regularly so we're pretty confident that it will be a good thing. Matt also wants to surf more and play music. I want to find a theatre to join to stretch my acting muscles...and maybe get some singing and dancing in there too. We've talked about taking a dance class (swing or something fun like that) or a spanish class as well just to keep learning and have some fun too. We also hope to move soon...our suite has been 'fine' as a starter- but I have always disliked living under people and living here has reminded me why. We hear everything- every flush of the toilet- every argument they may have - every time the baby cries and cries...and cries. On top of that we're in a brand new subdivision with ongoing construction every day of the week from 7am. On 3 sides of us we have new homes being built and its so hard to find a moment of quiet here. We are looking forward to taking our time to scout out a neighbourhood we both like and hope to find a house with no other people living in it!
Not much to report in the work department- Matt is still working with Castle Tile and is still getting jobs for his own company as well. He has now got decals of his logo and contact info for Clean Line Tile on his truck and it looks great! So happy for him! My studio is being painted as we speak and the contractor should be finished on Tuesday and then I need to have someone do the flooring! I hope to have it done by Friday! My bosses have said that they are still working on getting the hosiptal up and running soon. They have offered me a very nice raise and asked that I manage all the operations at the hospital(but not physically work there) as well as run the studio so that is nice and I just can't wait for all of this talking and planning to turn into action!!! It's been such a long haul!
Matt is planning to make a trip back to Brantford for a week or so at the beginning of February- he needs to see K and spend some quality time with him. I don't think I'll be able to join him this time- as I don't think I'll be able to ask for any time off just yet;) My birthday is this coming weekend but we don't have any plans for it...I always hope and pray that something magical and special will happen but that's me always the dreamer!!! Its such an unfortunate time of year for a birthday really...right after xmas and new years- everyone is broke and lacking the energy to have any more fun! I guess I'll just avoid it this year.
I will end this post with a video that I made- if you're on facebook you may have seen it already. It is 2009 in review.
Enjoy it!
Much love,
Wendhi, Matt and Ruca. xo
Hello from Dubai -
ReplyDeleteThanks for the updated blog. Here's wishing you and excellent and prosperous New Year!!
Nice thing about the wetsuit is that you just need some fins, a mask and some weights and you can have a little look under the surf and see wasup under there!!
Looking forward to the next update, Happy Birthday in the meantime!
Much Love back at you from Dubai.