Up until about 2 months ago I was terrified of having a pedicure. Until one of our very own CPO members convinced me to let her give me a foot rub. And I was in heaven. (Thanks B!)

So yesterday -with some other CPO members- I went and had my very first pedicure.

It was heavenly… not at all scary.. and very enjoyable.

And the company made it that much better! LOL

Here are my toes…

And all of our toes…

Bonnie and Mandi - I think you have created a monster!

I can’t wait to go back!

Then my marriage went KABOOM. Well I couldn’t very well take them camping on my own could I - too much work! Right? Wrong.

This year, with the kids being 9 and 4.5 I decided I was going to go again come ‘hell or highwater’. So I started planning… made arrangements to go with some friends… started looking for a new tent….

Then Mr. Right came along. He’d never been in the woods in his life! (City boy!) So I decided to go ahead and plan the trip - and if he chose to join us then great.

Bought a tent that was large enough for 7. (Which we all know would reasonably sleep 5 or 6.)… and started getting organized.

Lo and behold - City boy did want to come! LOL.

So here is how the week went…. My boys, Jimmy - my friends and their two boys… In the middle of nowhere at Balsam Lake Provincial Park.

Here’s our “home away from home..”

\

It was awesome… and waterproof apparently - thank God… The rains got us.. every day. But - we persevered. we swam when we saw sun and played cards when the rain came out… Our site was well treed so we were able to get out a little if the rain wasn’t too bad.

Here’s us swimming… (and riding the boat that BF bough the kids!)

Jimmy learned to BBQ!

And we bonded as we held out in the tent - hiding from torrential rain!

We were only supposed to stay for three nights - and with the weather I was sure the kids would want to go home - but no - they begged to stay a few more days……
How could I say no to these faces????

So I drove Jimmy back to the city (2 hours each way) while the kids stayed with my friends…
And it was so worth it. Despite the rain we had a blast…. I’m super glad we did.

We saw deer…

and even got back in the lake between rain storms!

It was an awesome week…. great times… great bonding… just a blast overall…

And next year - I’ve promised them a full week.. and - oddly enough - BF wants to go for 2. Maybe the city boy is not so much a city boy afterall? LOL

We went on a boat tour and saw eagles and two types of whales!

We spent a lot of time with family and friends!

We played at the beach MULTIPLE days…

Posed in front of a billion flowers for my mom!

Took tonnes of pics by the ocean….

It was a fabulous vacation. I am glad to be home though - back to “normalcy” whatever that is! LOL

And I’m delighted to be back with J.. I had loads of time to reflect on our relationship while I was gone. It’s hard to believe its been only 4 months since we’ve been together…. but man it feels so right!

And my crazy life continues….

Now - you need to understand a few things. I am a chicken. Plain and simple. Anything new or unfamiliar is TOTALLY out of my box (so to speak.)

Going away to a cottage that I have never been to.. in the middle of a community Ive never been in.. well = its out of my comfort zone. LOL

That being said.. I did it.. for a couple of reasons…The biggest one being that I’m trying hard to break outside my box. I really think I succeeded on that one this time.

It was a phenomenal weekend. I LOVED spending time with the ladies… Seems fake to call them that. With my friends.

I had a great time… Can’t wait to do it again.

Thanks ladies!

He is one of the most caring, understanding, non-judgmental people I know. He is supportive and wonderful and kind. No matter what I can always count on my dad.

And yet I feel like I am cheating writing that. Why? Because I can say it all about my mom too!

I was honestly blessed with the two most amazing parents a person could ever ask for. They have always made me feel loved no matter what. They have been there for me through good and bad.

I know that no matter what my mom and dad will always support me emotionally…

I am just an extremely lucky person… and I want the world to know just how lucky I really am.

My only sadness is that my children will not get to experience the same kind of love and appreciation that I have for my parents. While they can still love and appreciate us.. its not the same as when mom and dad are still together.

I’ll tell you now that my mom and dad are still head over heels in love. Its amazing.

I love my mom and dad with everything I have in me.

I am a very very very lucky me.

A few minutes later I get one back that says “I love you. You are so precious.”

And i have to wonder…. could I be the luckiest woman in the world?

I am so very blown away at how much he has come to mean to me so quickly. I miss him insanely when he is not here.

I am so lucky…

Alright - enough late night rambling!

PS. Did you know I only have 8 more school days! Yowch this year has flown!

I share close details (and the full truth) only with my closest friends.

My last blog was huge for me.

And today a posted in “Relationships” about how I am truly feeling. About how this whirlwind romance is affecting me.

I’m not hiding anything with this one. I hid a lot from my friends with the last relationship. They knew it. I knew it. I did finally come clean with them toward the end. I saw negative things as a reflection on me. Took me awhile to realize it was not.

One thing I decided when I did start dating this time is that I would tell the truth and the whole truth to my friends about it. No more hiding. And I have been open with them about what’s going on.

But “coming clean” with my CPO friends was a big deal for me…

So my post in relationships was met with tons of feedback and I appreciate each and every post.

I guess thats what I wanted to say - that I appreciate all the support and insight that you all offered me today.

It really meant a lot to me.

Thank you!

Here’s a pic of Jimmy and I. He makes me so happy….

PS… Thanks for all the comments so far on the blog as well.. Its funny.. its almost feels like people are reading my diary! LOL

I am a thinker.

Correction.

I am a HUGE over thinker.

I over think everything. I have a very hard time letting things ‘come as they may.’ I have to overthink it.

It’s pathetic really.

Since meeting Jimmy (Two months ago today I might add…) I have tried very hard to stop my over thinking tendencies. So far it works.. MOST of the time.

In two months my feelings about relationships have changed drastically. I had no idea that you could love someone so quickly. I had no idea that I could trust someone so completely. I had no idea that I would want to spend all my waking time with someone I’ve only known a couple of months.

I’ve had two romantic relationships as an adult. One was my husband (ex husband of course) and one was ex boyfriend. I can honestly say this feels different than it ever has before.

I am happy.
I am content.
There is no fear.
There are no guilt trips.
There is love.. and lots of it.

I really had no idea it could be like this! No idea.

Things seem to be bolting along and I start over thinking and then I want to slam on the breaks. Or rather.. I think I should want to slam on the breaks. But the truth is that I DO NOT want to put on the breaks. I want to keep going and going….

I guess my late night ramblings are yet another over thinking session for me…

LOL.

SORRY!

Imagine how she would feel meeting someone on a blind date.

.
.
.

Did you?

Well I can guarantee you that I felt about ten thousand times worse than you think! LOL.

When Jimmy and I finally set up a time to meet I became an instant wreck. I was so nervous. And, truthfully, a part of me really did want him to be a bit of a jerk so I could forget about him and go back to being a happily single parent.

meh.

So we planned to meet after I got out of school and go for dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. Sounds simple - right? Well.. the day went as slow as possible and I got trapped in a surprise meeting after school. I was actually shaking I was so nervous and almost threw up. Yes.. it was bad.

My friend looked at me and asked if I was ok (only “my” Michelle knew what was going on….Michelle is my teaching partner and I swear someone who knows me inside and out… I can tell her anything…)….anyway I said to this friend “Yeah Im fine I’ll talk to you later.” (Little did I know that she then thought I was mad at her!)

Anyway - I finally set out to drive there… pulled into the parking lot and nearly passed out. We decided to meet in the Indigo store next door in the travel section so we would recognize one another. My legs were wobbly… I was so scared. I almost turned around and left twice.

I dragged myself in through the door to discover it was a two level store.

So I called his cell.. he was upstairs. oh great….

Anyway.. I headed up and found the travel section. I was shaking… literally. (I am so afraid of unfamiliar things!)

Then he says “I can see you.. I am behind you”

So have a guess what I did?

Seriously… go on.. guess…

I kept on walking. Thats right! I said “How nice for you!” And kept walking. He said “um.. you are supposed to turn around” and I said “well what if I just keep going!”

Anyway I turned the corner and we walked towards one another.

He put his arms out and gave me a hug… And I confessed to shaking.

Then I said.. just keep walking… He was confused. I said “I can’t even look at you right now - just keep walking.”

And so he held my shaking sweaty hand.. and we walked.

I told him I could not go to the restaurant… and so we kept walking and went to a pet store and looked at the animals.
LOL

By the time we finished that I felt much better and we went to the restaurant. It was wonderful and a lot of fun but Id been so tense all day I could barely eat a bite.. My stomach was just in agony. He laughed and asked if I was nervous then.. and I told him that I was not.. it was just from all day.

We laughed and had a great time… and then we left.

As we were leaving a little girl and her family approached me and said “Hey Mrs. W!” And I though “Ah shit! LOL” Sure enough.. one of my former students had been sitting next to me for most of our first date! LOL… I had not even noticed! :S

So we chatted for a few minutes and by then I had to go get home to my kids.

We ended up standing by my car for about ten minutes.

And yes - he kissed me. My knees actually buckled and I had to lean back against the car.

It was one heck of a first date!

The reason I have and “official” and “not so official” version is NOT because I am ashamed of meeting Jimmy online… It’s because I don’t want anyone to think that I was actually “looking” for someone when it had only “really” been three weeks since I’d broken up with my previous boyfriend…

I honestly and truthfully had no intention of dating and was on date.ca out of sheer boredom.

I wasn’t interested in dating again.. yet alone finding someone like Jimmy.

It was odd - but finally getting the courage to call things off with the previous boyfriend gave me a strength I hadn’t felt in a long time. I gained my independence back… I wasn’t willing to go back down the relationship road again…. which is a part of the reason I fought Jimmy so hard on talking on the phone or meeting in person.

I had this new understanding of what I did and did not want out of life…

sorry.

Im rambling again.

Anyway - the point to this late night blog… (aside from the fact that I do not want to go to bed because I am afraid I will sleep walk) is to say that I am not actually concerned about the how - but rather that someone would think I was on date.ca “LOOKING”…

Do you know what I mean?

I told my friends the “truth” because they know me and know I was not looking.

I know.. I know.. Who cares….

:s

But if you look at the “official” version… the basics are there.. Jimmy was interested because he fell for my smile.

And we actually “talked” over the net….