Back home...

...and hating it already - when can I go back?? *LOL*

Ah, home sweet home (and back to my own bed - amazing how much one misses their own bed while away). Still sorting stuff out, trying to get caught up on e-mail, trying to get back into a work routine...and having a heck of a time getting back into my own time zone! I realise that going East is worse than going West as far as jet-lag, but wow! I slept until 2:00 p.m. (?!) my time on my first night back - and I had gone to bed at about 10 p.m. my time in an effort to get back on track asap. Sheesh! :)

Not many pics as I'm updating this while on lunch at work, but I do have some cell phone shots. My folks have my camera as it was smaller, but they'll be back later so I don't have everything with me just yet.

Let's see, some funny things that happened...

1) Flew out with a Catholic priest on the plane. That was either a really good sign or a really bad one - thankfully a really good one - this time... *lol*

2) I think I surprised my cousins that I was able to handle a rifle during target shooting rather well for a first-time city gal. I had a terrific teacher (thanks Bill!!), and had a really good laugh at myself when I couldn't cock the .410 shotgun (I think that was the one). I laughed more than the guys did! But they were teasing my cousin's husband when I appeared to out-shoot him on my first try with his 300 (I called the big guns the "boom sticks", as you could feel the shot more than hear it) - but it was already painstakingly set up by him, as well as him taking a couple of shots first himself, so I put it down to strictly "beginner's luck". I honestly don't think I could have hit the broad side of a barn door if he hadn't set everything up so well himself...even if I did hit the outermost edge of one of the bullseyes with another rifle (the 7mm, if I remember rightly - the second "boom stick" we were using that day)- freehand... *ahem* *LOL* Honestly, I was more paranoid about either breaking my collarbone or dislocating my shoulder more than anything else, so most of my time was ensuring the butt was snugged against my shoulder joint / collar bone area properly. Super fun, and a sport I'm actually considering. Like I need a reason to spend more money... *rolls eyes at self* One cousin (who shall forever remain Shawn) said I "got all redneck" out there! *LOL*

3) Continued to bug the heck out of my Uncle in Adam's Lake (you won't find a town by that name, it's too small for mapping purposes) by calling him by his nickname (a really cutesy one for such a "manly man" if his breed). Either that, or I kept telling him when he was upset or grumpy about something that he was "...so cute when you act all Neanderthal". Thankfully he still laughs at that one...

4) Got to share a bed with my Mother for a week, something I haven't done before. She snores. And when I kick the covers off through the night she steals them. Guess what I'm probably not doing again unless I have to? :) Sorry Mum, couldn't resist telling that one... And Dad was so cute falling asleep at the drop of a hat watching TV out there. We liked to call it his "Introspective time" as he looked deep in thought propping his chin up and looking so serious...while lightly snoring... ;)

5) Flew back with the VP of our department - small world or what? They were coming back to Toronto after a conference in B.C. - just sheer shit luck that we were on the same flight. Which was a good thing, I like to think - at least if the plane crashed more effort would be put into looking for them, so better chance that I'd be found, too! *LOL* Just kidding, but I do think like that occasionally for humour's sake...

6) While not terribly funny, I'm glad I came home when I did as everyone out there is sick with a darned good cold. Fighting it a little myself, but not near as bad as everyone else sounds out there. Mwa ha, ha, ha - I've spread my disease and fled the town!! Seriously, it wasn't me, though...who cares who it was, I hope everyone gets better soon!

All in all, a great trip, and fantastic getting caught up with various cousins and Aunts and Uncles. Both Uncles have sucessfully beaten Cancer, so it was even better seeing them. And it was wonderful as always to get caught up with Hugh (I think he's a cousin of some sort, but I tend to get a little confused there). Re-connecting with my cousins is always terrific - they're a great bunch, and a lot of fun. We even got connected over the subject of Zombies (Shawn...of the Dead?)! Funny enough, we all like joking about being prepared for the Zombie apocolypse, and it was fun talking about the Walking Dead and Z Nation TV programs - Z Nation has the funniest deaths / re-animations IMO, especially the toddler that became a zombie (yep, it's been noted that my sense of humour frequently crosses over into "sick puppy" territory), and I even learned how to (implosibly) kill a zombie using a hand-held mixer or beater watching that show. See? Hilarious!!

Oh, and two Thanksgiving dinners while out there. Oy vey! Double the turkey, double the food comas - and double the "wind", shall we say... When you consider how much gas the average turkey gives a person (well, me in any case), that part of it was not fun - I kept stepping outside with my Mum when she went for her smoke to release the pressure valve a little. Thank goodness I didn't get too close to her or I might have gone up in flames! See, I did funny things out there, too, I don't just tell stories on my Mum and Dad! ;)


TTFN