iamrobyn

‎”We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.” -Dr. Seuss

My favorite indoor plant has begun to bloom! Well worth the 11-month wait…

The blossoms seem to have a slight pink hue to them this year, despite having always been a crisp white, so I’m curious as to what changed its mind!

To say that the past few weeks have been chaotic would be a total understatement. I’m exhausted.

Physio appointment after physio appointment (turns out my neck and knee are completely messed up), doctors appointments, rental cars, insurance adjusters, banks, daily visits to different car dealerships… you get the idea. One thing that most people don’t understand about me is my inability to spend money. I mean, I absolutely hate spending money, so the idea of buying a car and having monthly payments for the next 5 years pretty much crippled me for the last few weeks. I couldn’t sleep (the pain in my body didn’t help either – thank God for advil!) and I couldn’t eat… I felt totally and completely sick. I know everyone says “well if that’s your biggest issue…!” – but it’s actually a real problem in my life and something that I struggle with every time I swipe my Credit Card. Car shopping is supposed to be fun; this wasn’t. After 3 weeks of a constant pain in my stomach, I finally took the plunge and bought myself a new set of wheels.

He sure is pretty, isn’t he? I love him, heated seats and all! I haven’t started the car payments yet, so let’s see how I feel about him once those start, but still… he’s pretty cute.

I’ve since been able to fall asleep at night and actually have developed a bit of an appetite again, so things are improving! Because of my injuries, my body still isn’t capable of running at 100% but physio is helping and will hopefully have me back on track in no time! Not being able to do my regular workout schedule has been rough though… it has kind of gotten me down in the dumps. I can’t say I’m depressed because that’s definitely a real issue that people struggle with (and I’m not even close to that) , but for the past few months I have been in a very obvious slump. My body was in pristine condition before I left on my trip and my weight gain (even though it’s just 10 pounds) has really brought me down. That, and my mind has just not been at peace recently. It’s a definitely a combination of things that have been weighing heavily on my heart and mind and I’ve come to the realization that something needs to change in order for me to get back on track. I’m tired of negative thoughts and I’m tired of being… tired. So, it’s time for change! I’m revamping my schedule for the next three weeks to help redirect my energy and hopefully clear up some of the hardness that my heart has been experiencing… starting with a 6-days a week intense hot yoga plan! I’m excited!

And yay for new cars!! He’s already covered in dog hair and dirt from flowers, but that just means that he has begun to fit into my life quite nicely. We’re going to make a great pair…

“You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don’t try to forget the mistakes, but you don’t dwell on it. You don’t let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space.”

— Johnny Cash

Well you know how I thought my car won the battle in the accident I was in last week? Turns out he didn’t. After a brief appraisal at the claim center, I was told that there was in fact too much damage to repair it. In other words, the cost of the repair was more than what the vehicle is worth. The back bumper was destroyed, the side panels pulled away from the hatchback door, the bent frame caused problems with the motor, etc, etc.

So I boxed up my belongings (with the exception of my war amp hula girl – she’s been with the car since day 1 and deserved to stay with it) and said goodbye to the car who has loved me for the past 10 years.

His name is Mister and he will be missed.

Forgive me for the emotional attachment to my car, he’s something I’ve always been so incredibly proud of. Living in the country, you need a car to get around, there’s no avoiding that. So for a number of years before I turned 16, I saved and saved and saved… and the day I got my N was the day I went out and bought this precious little guy… all by myself!

It’s funny how you can have so much love for a metal object, but really, so many important memories in my life happened with my Accent. Buying the car was momentous… it taught me the value of money and how to take care of an investment. My dad taught me how to change oil and a tire for the first time, putting me on the right track of always having the ability and skills to take care of myself in sticky situations. I got in my first car accident in this thing… teaching me the importance of safe driving and the consequences for my actions. I spent countless hours with high school friends, driving to McDonald’s or doing photoshoots for photography class. I drove it 1,000 times through the Coquihalla up to my cabin, windows down, music blaring, slurpee in hand. For years before he passed away, I would drive my Grandpa around town to do his errands, him cursing up a storm at me for swearing at other drivers, and him subtly saying “you’ll let me know when you get a speeding ticket, won’t you?” – even when I was only going 40 km/hr. This car drove me to my high school graduation, my first day of university, my road trip down to The Price is Right with an ex-boyfriend, to my vet when I had to take my cat and dogs to be put down, to target on a weekly basis, and home every single weekend to work at my family’s business or on the acreage. I had the best dance parties, sing-a-longs, swearing fests, and crying sessions that you could ever imagine.

It has been a great first car. Thanks for 10 awesome years, Mister!

(thankful for the past, excited for the future…)

There’s something about this time of year that just makes me SO happy. I think it’s the promise of summer. Winter months make me grumpy and depressed, my heart is often sad and unsatisfied. Summer means the upcoming season of endless baseball games, the long evenings, the warming weather, the swimming, the cabin life, everything… I am just generally a happier person around these months.

I’ve been broke for so long, always putting every cent away for my South Pacific trip, never getting to “enjoy” those little things in life. The saving was 100% worth it, but it’s nice to now have the freedom to do those random activities and go to events that I’ve always wanted to go to. With money in the bank, my sister, her husband and I ventured to Game 5 of the Canucks vs. Chicago and it was so much fun! Of course, we ended up losing 5-0, but our section was a total blast and I have no regrets. It was at the 4-0 mark when we all realized we couldn’t really cheer for a team that was sucking so bad, so other chants started up… “LeBron James sucks! LeBron James sucks!” – and then “Go Grizzlies Go! Go Grizzlies Go!”.

On Friday my brother-in-law and I decided to take advantage of the day off and hike up one of our local mountains. Trekking through the deep snow was quite the workout and aside from a minor I’m-realizing-I’m-afraid-of-heights meltdown on the side of the steep cliff, it was wonderful! He was so patient with me, giving me time to calm down before encouraging me to get to the incredible view at the top. Totally worth it… and I even got my first snowburn! I sure was thankful for my 38 layers, the beautiful sunshine and my gaiters!

The next (sore) morning at 6am, my BIL and I went to his parent’s dairy farm to help out while they’re gone. I love farms! I can’t see myself ever going into the dairy business, but I also can’t see myself ever living on something other than an acreage. Feeding milk to the new tiny little cow was so special!

On Saturday night we took the long drive up to the cabin for Easter weekend… man, I love it up there!! Cabin life is something everyone should experience – you can’t help but completely relax! Didn’t hurt that we had AMAZING sunny weather too… and that our cabin is completely renovated and now warm and cozy! There was lots of visiting with family & friends on wharfs and at dining tables, LOADS of wine, a delicious ham dinner, some panning for gold in the river, a little bit of gardening, and a lot of being lazy.

While we were gone, my parents returned to Canada and it was so great coming home to them! I hadn’t seen them since before my big trip, so LOTS presents and stories were exchanged. On Tuesday I did something that has been on my to-do list for quite a number of years now… I made a big turkey dinner! And not just your pre-stuff frozen butterball… I’m talking a fresh turkey that I stuffed myself! Of course if you know my mother & sister, you’ll know that they are control-freaks in the kitchen so I was definitely pushed out during my final hour, but I still cooked a turkey and that’s all that matters! Easter dinner? Nope! More like ‘Canucks Game 7′ dinner!!

Then…. oh, then… I was heading home on Wednesday in the pouring rain when the traffic on a hill stopped and I was the last car in line. After being rear-ended in my dad’s car a number of years ago, I always look in the rear-view mirror to watch cars approach me… this one was going quite fast but I remember thinking “oh, he has enough time to stop” – but the next thing I know, his car (going 80km/hr) had slammed into mine and my head was flying into the steering wheel. The hit was so hard that my glove box flew open and everything came flying out, my foot pressing as hard as it could into the brake so I wouldn’t hit the person in front of me. I must have been knocked a bit unconscious because I never actually saw all that open… when my eyes opened, everything was sprawled everywhere and I was completely disorientated. But I gotta say, my little Hyundai is SUCH a trooper! I have never been so proud of him. The other car was absolutely destroyed… flat tires, no front bumper, the hood bent up to the windshield, a crumpled engine. Mine? It needs a new bumper. He’s kinda running rough, the brakes are a bit worn, and the exhaust pipe is a little bent out of shape, but damn. For that strong of an impact, he really held his own! My knee aches and my neck is quite sore (REALLY wishing the headache would go away! And these huge lumps on my neck!), but I’m a tough girl – hopefully it disappears soon.

What an eventful week!

Parks and Recreation is one of those shows that just completely floors me every Thursday, it’s SO good! One of my favorite characters, Tom Haverford, totally stole the spotlight in this week’s episode. We actually rewound it a few times so we could catch them all…

“Zerts” are what I call desserts. “Tre-tres” are entrees. I call sandwiches “sammys,” “sandoozles,” or “Adam Sandlers.” Air conditioners are cool blasterz with a “z” (I don’t know where that came from). I call cakes, “big ol’ cookies.” I call noodles “long-ass rice.” Fried chicken is “fry-fry chicky-chick.” Chicken parm is “chicky-chicky parm-parm.” Chicken cacciatore? “Chicky catch.” I call eggs “pre-birds” or “future birds.” Root beer is “super water.” Tortillas are “bean blankies,” and I call forks… “food rakes!”

I have to say… I think “chicky chicky parm parm” is going to be the newest addition to my vocabulary!! And noodles are now “long-ass rice”? Love it.

This week’s great TV moments – honorable mention:
The paint-can scene with Luke and Phil (swoon) on Modern Family. (I almost died.)

I am, and always will be, a baseball girl… but there’s something about having the playoffs in your city that makes hockey pretty damn exciting this time of year! My brother-in-law and I have spent endless nights in the hot tub discussing the Canucks, him teaching me everything I need to know about the team (though I still have so much to learn…). I never thought I’d say this, but I’m really enjoying watching the games! The social aspect of the parties always help, but it’s just plain old fun to be screaming and cheering for your team with a solid group of people.

As soon as the playoff tickets went on sale, my BIL and I came up with a game plan to snag some for the first round and it worked! We managed to get great seats at face value for Game 2 and Game 5 (is it bad that I’m hoping they lose tomorrow night so they don’t sweep and I can go to game 5? Worst bandwagon fan ever!) so finally on Friday night we went into Vancouver and let me tell you… we had the time. of. our. lives. It was so fun! And while absolutely NOTHING can top playoff baseball, going to a playoff hockey game was an absolute BLAST! Everything from free hot dogs (and you know how much I love hotties, especially when they’re free) and spilt beer to “awwwwkwaaaard!” and “oh look, the text is in the shape of the Stanley Cup!”… it was the perfect game and we cheered our little hearts out.
All I need now is a #22 “Danny” Sedin jersey!

Go Canucks!!

(but still hoping for a game 5….)

Even after traveling to some of the most coveted places in the world, home is still my favorite place on this earth. I’ve always dreamed of working for MLB in Southern California or having my own farm in Alabama or Georgia, but when it comes right down to it, I love love love my hometown and can never really see myself living anywhere else.

One of the best things to have on a Sunday is…. BONFIRES! And hot dogs! My puppy niece especially loves it because it means we get to play ball all day with her (and I always sneak her a roasted hot dog or two…)

After a day full of massive pruning and hauling branches, we got a little lazy and then ordered pizza to stuff our faces even more. I love days like this!

Totally dreaming of the day when I can permanently move out there and have a house (actually, yard) of my own…!

Mom — here’s proof that we actually bottled the wine and didn’t just drink it all….

Happy hours are sure going to be great this summer!!