U is for ULTIMATE

As some of you already know, my fiancé has been hired by the security company that's dealing with the 2010 Winter Olympics here in Vancouver. Yesterday was his first day at "Boot Camp" and he received his deployment. They're using military terms since this is just like a military operation, security-wise.

It's almost unbelievable that he got the ULTIMATE venue!!! Could there be a more beautiful setting? (click on photo to enlarge) He will be in charge of BC Place Stadium where the Opening and Closing Ceremonies will be held PLUS where the hockey games will be played. I am so proud of him and so excited that he'll be right in the thick of all that excitement. Naturally, he's a bit overwhelmed and anxious about doing a good job, but I have great faith in his ability to perform under pressure. With luck, our weather will be cold and crisp with lots of sunshine both for the tourists and for all the workers. My sweetie won't have to worry about carrying an umbrella around with him to protect his new ultra uniform (I'll take a photo of him in it when he gets it).

And the upside of all this is that if he does a good job here, there's every likelihood that they'll utilize him in London for the 2012 Summer Olympics! And I am utterly uplifted by this possibility. If he does get on for 2012, I'll also apply with this international company - as a trainer. We'd both get paid room and board for the duration of our employment plus we'd extend our stay to see more of the country and visit our friends there.

ABC Wednesday is the brainchild of Mrs. Nesbitt and to see other contributions to this fun meme, simply click here.

Oh, and a side note - while looking in the dictionary to find words beginning with the letter "U" I came upon a new word that I really like: uxorious - means foolishly or excessively fond of one's wife.

T is for TIPS

I know I'm a bit early for this, but I was thinking about it and just got on a roll. Enjoy.

We have passed the one year mark of our reunion and boy, have we ever learned a lot! It's amazing how different love is when you're a mature adult, having been around the block once or twice (so-to-speak). It's not all that immediate lust and passion and googly eyes and heart palpitations - well, that does happen at first just like in the good ole days. But because we're older, wiser, and more realistic about the highs and lows, we've had to work hard to figure out if this relationship is right - or not. So far, so good. But it does take work! In that vein, I was researching relationships and came upon some good tips. And in order to keep things light, I've taken the liberty of adding a few cartoons to illustrate some of the points. Be sure to click on them if you can't seem them clearly.

Communication - Talk, Talk, Talk! We spend a long time over dinner every evening and we are able to tell each other things that are good and things that aren't so good in our life or in our relationship. I must admit that I tend to run away if I'm hurt or annoyed, but Lorne is better at making me sit down and face the truth. And the best time to talk about problems is when things are going well and we're relaxed.

Compromise - At some point, one or the other partner is going to have to give way and concede on what they would prefer. And sometimes, both partners will have to give way. If one or the other insists on having their own way all the time, there will be problems which may well result in a breakdown of the relationship. We've had to work on compromise a lot! And I must say that I tend to compromise more than "he" does, and I've had to be very careful not to hurt his feelings about some of his things. But we try to remember that we're two individuals with a different set of experiences, beliefs and world views. How we were brought up largely defines a great deal of our attitude towards things.

Commitment - We all know what it is like to not want to do something, but having made a commitment we hold to our word. Couple relationships are no exception. There will undoubtedly be times when we don’t feel like making an effort – but will do so. And generally, the more we give the more we receive! We also need to commit to keeping our problems to ourselves, to not sharing these things with friends or relatives. If other people get involved in our relationship, it will seldom help and could actually destroyed our relationship.

Celebration - One vital way of keeping a relationship alive is to celebrate it; share an activity together – seek to enjoy life and play together. This element becomes increasingly difficult when the daily struggles of day-to-day life intrude and finances are tight. We like to go for walks or on photo safaris, as we call them, and share the rare sunshine on an autumn day.

Choices - I learned through my church that love is a choice. I can choose to love or choose not to love. And we make a choice to make sure our relationship takes priority over anything else, be it work, hobbies, or friends. And in loving him, I end up receiving his love and that is the best dividend ever!

Well, besides doing a bit of research on relationships and giving you some tips that I found, I've had a really good laugh at these cartoons and hope you have, too!

ABC Wednesday is brought to you by Denise Nesbitt and if you're interested in participating or reading some other contributions, just click here.

One Way Telephones

I'm wondering how many of you know people like this.

You've been thinking about them, realizing you haven't heard from them for quite a while, so you finally give them a call.

You're greeted with something like the following:
"Oh my gosh! How ARE you? I haven't heard from you for so long I thought maybe you'd disappeared off the face of the earth!"

Or this:

"Oh HI! I thought you'd died!"

I had the lovely misfortune to have this happen to me twice in the last few days.

Honestly, do these people own phones that only receive calls? Can they not call out?

I replied to both these people, "Gee, does your phone not call out? You could call me once in a while, too, you know."But this type of person never gets it...they simply continue on yakking about themselves and just briefly ask how I am. *sigh*

Makes me want to reach through the phone and strangle them with the cord...except there's no cord on phones these days. ARGH!

'Tis the Season

It is now less than one month until Christmas Day! So in honour of the season, I've changed my background colour to red and my Meez to show a Christmsay scene. We're heading out to Canadian Tire tomorrow to buy a ladder and lights for the house - it'll be the first time to have Christmas lights on the exterior since there's never been a man around to it for me before. Yeah, yeah, no reason why I couldn't do it, but I was raised NOT to climb ladders - seriously, my Dad thought I'd fall off and hurt myself.

You will be disgusted with me, but I have pretty much finished my shopping, too. Just have to pick up a couple more things and I'll be ready to start wrapping. And today, I actually wrote out a few cards to send to friends in the United Kingdom - always have to get those ones off early.

I suggested today that we get ourselves stockings to hang in case Santa decides to drop in for a visit. LOL I was rewarded with a smile and a chuckle, but methinks we'll do it. I'll go looking for one for each of us while "he" gets the ladder.

We already have a couple of social functions on the calendar, but we're still not sure exactly what we'll be doing on Christmas Day. Regardless, I'm sure it'll turn out to be great - especially if Santa Claus sneaks down the chimney! I do love Santa, but I also know that Jesus is the reason for the season!

I think I'll drag out the tree and the boxes of decorations this weekend and put a serious start to the enjoyment of this time of year.

S is for SHAG

Shag carpets were developed as a deep pile style of carpet during the mid-20th C and were considered to be essential components of contemporary decorating schemes in the 60’s and 70’s. While many people think of the shag carpet as a relic of the past, the fact is that long yarn carpet designs are alive and well in the 21st C.

I remember the first house we bought in 1978 that had shag carpeting everywhere. The master bedroom had orange shag and the living room had brown shag carpeting. (Of course, the fridge and stove were that golden colour that was so in style in those days!) And does anyone remember those British movies with the ShagMobile? and in Britain the word "shag" has a totally different connotation from American or Canadian slang.

So when my girlfriend slash real estate agent slash stager recommended I get a shag area rug for my living room, I was a bit concerned for her sanity. However, upon further research, I saw that shag really is 'IN' again as long as it isn't wall-to-wall like it was in the "olden days."

I went to a very prominent business that deals in high-end home furnishings (their wholesale outlet) and as soon as I walked in, I noticed a pile of area rugs. On top of the pile was THE rug! After minimum discussion (what's the size? what's the price? what's the quality? what's the policy if it doesn't look good when I take it home? blah blah blah) I said, "I'll take it."

Knowing I had only 48 hours in which to return the rug, I quickly laid it down. With a bit of adjustment as to its proper positioning, I stood back and said to myself, "Perfect!" And here it is! I really like the texture and the mix of colours in the rug. Click on the photos to enlarge them.

ABC Wednesday is brought to you by Denise Nesbitt and you can view other participants' entries by clicking here.

Monochrome Weekly

The November rains are taking a toll on all of us right now. We've been inundated with pounding rain, tiny hailstones, and thunder and lightening. Apparently, it's not about to let up any time soon. It seems as though it's dark all day and by 4 pm, we're deep into the twilight time with pitch black coming by 5 pm. *sigh*

So in choosing a photo for today, I went back to my photos from Italy where I had the trip of a lifetime - at least so far. I thought this one would work in black & white as it's an ancient fortress on Sicily. Just revisiting this area warmed my soul and gave me a new lease on the day. Click on the photo to enlarge it. Hope you like it.

Pop over to the Monochrome Maniacs site here to check out participants' posts. MM is hosted by Aileni here.

From Romance to Reality to Relationship

ABC Wednesday is up to the letter R in this fifth go-round, hosted by Denise Nesbitt. Check out other participants' ideas on each letter of the week by clicking here.

Romance is a general term that refers to the attempt to express love with words or deeds. Within the context of "romantic love" relationships, it usually implies an expression of one's love, or one's deep emotional desires to connect with another person. So how does one express love towards another? Verbal expressions like "I love you," "I adore you," "I want to make you happy," "You make me so happy," are typical. Showing love towards another person in deeds could be expressed through bringing unexpected gifts like flowers, or through making a special meal, taking the loved one out for the evening, or simply by holding hands.

However, eventually, reality sets in. Reality, in everyday usage, means the state of things as they actually exist. No matter how deeply a couple is in love, they still have to face the fact that the garbage needs to be taken out, bills need to be paid, one or the other will get sick, one might lose a job, or one might snore.

Romance that survives reality can become an enduring relationship that involves a level of interdependence. People in a relationship influence each other by sharing their thoughts and feelings and by engaging in activities together. Because of this interdependence, most things that change or impact one member of the relationship will have some level of impact on the other member.

Yes, reality has intruded upon our romance, but that was to be expected. Now, we're working on developing that enduring relationship that will hopefully surpass all the doubts and fears that constantly creep into our lives. The bottom line is that we love each other.