These Are Days

Soapbox alert!

I have a pile of wet hair wrapped in a towel on my head and 30 minutes before I should be backing out of my driveway to meet Stacey for lunch. I am in a hurry and running frantically behind, but I need a soundtrack to my chaos so I turn the radio to Sirius Coffee House (one of my favorite channels that plays singer-songwriter, acoustic music). There are few things I love more than a simple beautiful lyric and it's the very first line of a song that compels me sit on the bed and listen a moment and stays with me all day until here I sit on the same bed preparing for a night of rest: "These are days we'll remember."

Sometimes life moves so fast you can barely remember to thank God at the end of the day. Other times, you can almost feel the hand of that same God slowing things down as He whispers, "Pssst! This is really important, sweetheart. Pay attention!" This morning - I paid attention.

"These are days we'll remember." I confess that the rest of the song went in one ear and out the other but the first line lodged itself in my brain and danced around a bit. "These are the days" I'll remember, sitting on the porch with my gray hair in a messy bun and glasses on the tip of my nose, as Sid and I watch our grandchildren play in the grass. These days are the stories-in-the-making that I'll tell those beautiful grandchildren a dozen times, pretending I don't see them playfully roll their eyes when I tell them again. These are the moments I'll want to relive again and the moments I wish I could forget and the old weathered photographs I'll display on the mantle. These are the days we are given as a gift and aren't promised. What am I doing with these days that I'll remember? Am I walking the path God lovingly built for me? Am I growing into the woman my children and grandchildren will one day admire? Am I living my life to the fullest? Are you?

We are hypnotized by hustle and bustle, our politics and television rituals, our careers and schedules, incomes and debts and how easily we forget all the things that truly matter. Do good and be just, love your friends and cherish your spouse, take a vacation to a faraway land or your own backyard, pray and meditate, be thankful from the bottom of your heart, smile for many photographs, be amazed at God's creation, love your body, learn to let it go, and always tell the truth because these are the days we'll remember.

Move Over Seattle, I've Got a New Second Favorite City

Note: It's my blog and I can go out of order if I want to.

Vancouver.

Most Liveable City in the World. Economist Magazine, 2009
Best North American Island, Condé Nast Traveler, 2007
4th Best City in the World for Quality of Life. Mercer, 2009
Beautifulist (yes, it's a word) Airport in the Whole Wide World. Leigh's "I'm Back" Blog, 2009
Most Delicious Tap Water in the Universe. Leigh's "I'm Back" Blog, 2009

I'd be honored to spend the next 17,789 minutes listing award after award Vancouver has snagged so deservingly (Largest Concentration of Perfect People with Cars Worth More than the Average Home, Sweetest Pads on the Water, Buffest and Beautifulist - all awarded by me in 2009) and you would be spellbound and amazed and begging for more but take my word for it and save me the blog space, mmmkay?

I love to travel, but honestly, you got that, right? My obsession with travel, I mean? It's been a goal since childhood to see all 50 states - and I mean REALLY see ALL 50 states - before I kick the bucket (Maryland, you don't count since I only landed in your airport and Tennessee, you aren't on my list because I only drove through you for a half hour) and in the last few years my compulsion to explore the rest of the world is so consuming I'm convinced I was Christopher Columbus in a past life. So naturally, getting my hands (and feet) on Alaska, America's 49th state and my 20th, AND Canada, my 4th country, was a jump-up-and-down-like-a-lunatic kind of opportunity: not only was I embarking on a sweet adventure, I was making grand strides towards a meaningful life mission.

From the time we debarked the ship, we hit the street at a sprint. We dropped our luggage with the hotel concierge, a mile later were outfitted with helmets and mountain bikes from Spokes Bike Rentals, and we were off and pedaling our way to Stanley Park, one of the most cherished patches of green on earth (yet ANOTHER award, Vancouver). Opened in 1888, this 1000-acre wonderland is throbbing with history, thick with luscious plant life, crawling and swimming with wildlife, and peppered with diverse and wonderful two-legged creatures (you know, humans?) - biking, walking, swimming, reading, boating, laughing, painting, and exploring. The pulse of the park is invigorating!

After teaming back up with my parents (go Mom, biking ten miles!), we scored a delightful taxi ride (World's Friendliest Cab Drivers) across the Lion's Gate Bridge to the Capilano Suspension Bridge, Vancouver's oldest tourist attraction (if you don't count Stanley Park), opened in 1889. A thrilling combination of wobbly and secure, the bridge (which was originally hemp and cedar planks!) spreads 450 feet across a stunning ravine, soars 230 feet above peaceful Capilano River, and leads to a rainforest adventure on the other side. We merrily meandered through the old majestic forest growth, stopped to listen to quiet waterfalls tumble to the river below, let our eyes roam and roam and roam over Big Doug, a 350 year old Douglas Fir who witnessed 82 of his fellow trees buddies fall during Hurricane Freda in 1962 yet still stands strong. Before we knew it, we were soaring above the forest floor on the Treetops Adventure, a series of suspension bridges constructed in the treetops. Spectacular!

Yet another chatty taxi ride later (which the Park actually arranged for us! - shall we say, "World's Nicest Amusement Parks" too?) and we were able to officially check in to our hotel, The Sutton Place. After a quick dip in the pool, Sid and I were once again strolling the rolling streets of Vancouver, stopping for a delicious latte and a scan of the map, and then directing our eager feet to the waterfront where we hopped an aquabus (aka: ferry) to Granville Island in False Creek. Not knowing exactly what to expect, it's safe to say we were both flabbergasted. At everything! The homes (gorgeous highrise condominiums with fabulous plant covered terraces), the boats (i.e. yachts), the people (gorgeous, diverse), the dogs (I do admire a dog loving community!), the beaches (alive with parties and football games and guitars and picnics), the shopping and the food (our stomachs were rumbling for supper). Granville Island, not really an island at all and connected to downtown Vancouver by way of the Granville Street Bridge, is teeming with history and rebirth. An industrial area that thrived from 1917 until the 1960s, the area was on the decline in the postwar until federal government and private business joined forces in the 1970s to recycle old buildings and creat a place for it's citizens to shop, eat, catch a play and gather - and decades later they are still doing just that. After strolling through the public market, we stumbled upon the door to the jazzy Sandbar restaurant, where we snagged a patio table under the Granville Street Bridge and devoured our delicious sushi and swordfish and mouthwatering bread (best bread EVER).

After our ferry ride back to the other side, we couldn't help but close the evening and our vacation with a lovely hand-in-hand stroll down Kits Beach. A perfect closer to a perfect adventure in a perfect city. Vancouver - with your endless awards and your beaches and parks, history and people - I heart you. And I'll be back.

Stay Tuned

Im sick. Stay tuned and don't you dare forget about me. Deal?

To reward your patience, here is a teensy tiny taste of the wondrous happenings of our miraculous planet that I witnessed on my Alaskan vacation. Jealous? Don't be! Book your own Alaskan cruise! Cost is no excuse - I priced an interior cabin for a pal out of curiosity and it was $670 PER PERSON, including all taxes and fees. 7 days, all inclusive, in Alaska? Insane.

Glacial Calving - when a piece of a glacier breaks off and tumbles ferociously to the water. A loud thunderous cracking can be heard first, and in our case, was followed by magnificent 250 feet tumble to the water below. Here is the splash and the calving! (You may want to click the photographs to make it larger)

I'll be back soon!

I'm back!

Where in the world have I been? Canada and Alaska, that's where!

I'm not quite sure how to handle the vacation blogging situation now that I'm back home. Internet was $0.55 per minute onboard so naturally I didn't even attempt to blog at sea. I'm thinking I'll do the ol' one blog per day scenario, which means, unfortunately for you, you'll be reading about my vacation for 8 or 9 days, but I'LL have a detailed account of our trip of a lifetime that will be a cherished keepsake years from now. So, I guess apologies are in order? At least you'll get to see some really neat photographs of whales and bears and mountains and eagles and seals!

We left the house around 2pm on Friday only to arrive 2 hours early for a flight that was delayed 2 hours with 2 gate changes. And, listen to this! The DAY before we left I came in from mowing the lawn with a terrible sore throat, congestion, and fever. Allergies? I contemplated running down to the CareNow in Frisco - you know, the independent emergency rooms where you don't have wait in long lines - so I could get started on meds if I needed them. I decided that with a good night's rest, I'd feel better in the morning, so I hit the hay early and woke up with....an even worse sore throat with white patches. I cried. No, I boo hooed. For at least ten minutes. "Why me! Sick?! Strep throat? Noooo! I'm going to get EVERYONE sick! The poor person who sits next to me on the plane, even! WHY!!!!" No, I'm not kidding. I really did cry. And cry. And cry some more. And then I went to an 8am doctor appointment, had a rapid strep test that was NEGATIVE (yah!) and one steroid shot later, I was sent home with instructions to alternative FOUR Advil/Tylenol every FOUR hours (I had to ask the nurse ten times if I heard her right). Needless to say, 4 hours of waiting in an airport did nothing for me. I felt terrible. And hot. And achy. But who's complaining? I was on my way to Alaska AND I got lucky and had an empty seat beside me (I always book Sid and me two aisle seats across from one another), and we eventually arrived in Vancouver (they win the award for most gorgeous airport, by the way), hopped on the hotel shuttle ($66 a night for the beautiful Best Western - no really! It was remodeled for the 2010 Olympics and apparently they have yet to discover that $66 a night is a teensy bit cheap) , had a quick bite in the hotel restaurant (where I discovered another category Vancouver wins an award for - tap water. Delish!), and then rest, sweet rest!

Can you believe I didn't snap a single photograph on Day 1?

The Deep Thinker

"What IS the secret of life?" 10 month old Ryan pondered.


















Number 1 - Have a snazzy boat and don't be afraid to use it.


















Number 2 - Life is complicated. Be prepared.












Number 3 - Never turn down a hug from a friend, especially when you're blue.

















Number 4 - Sometimes the grass really is greener on the other side, but be content anyway.


















Number 5 - When life gives you a wall, climb it.

















Number 6 - Looking cool is underrated. Dress for success.

















Number 7 - Surround yourself with talented people, especially if they have a karaoke machine AND can ride a bike without training wheels.











Number 8 - Don't worry. Be happy!

Mystery Solved?

I was sick. For 2 weeks. I'm going to pass on the specifics and you will be appreciative (trust me). For days, I thought I simply had a virus. Then I started worrying about an incident in 2007 which required a colonoscopy (have you correctly guessed my symptoms yet?) which resulted in a diagnosis of "Colitis - mild" and instructions for another scope at age 35. No big deal. After several days of similar symptoms, it dawned on me to consult the report from the procedure and I noticed for the first time that the nurse had enclosed a brochure for Ulcerative Colitis. Dr. Leigh went to work - immediately. Who is Dr. Leigh? Watch this clip but but insert my name and face on Brendan's. (Clip is long - the only one I could find! Oh, and I have health insurance, by the way. I just hate doctor's offices)

'My Boys' Have Deported Girlfriends & Imaginary Doctors @ Yahoo! Video

Dr. Leigh - that's me! Headache, stomach ache, fatigue, back pain, cough - I'm on it. I hate the real doctor. But using the internet to diagnose an illness should be against the law. Have a headache? It's a brain tumor, for sure. Feeling a bit tired and sluggish? Leukemia, not doubt about it. When Dr. Leigh goes to work, misery and despair fill the house and let's just be honest - when you read the symptoms for any illness, they are so vague you'll think everyone must be dying from it. Once I found a forum for REAL live victims of Ulcerative Colitis, and went beyond a simple list of symptoms, I knew immediately it was not my burden to bear and I felt a gut wrenching wave of sympathy for the victims.

After a call to the doctors office - same doctor from Colonscopy 2007 (really people - colonoscopies are SO not a big deal. If you're over 50 quit your whining and get one already), nurse thinks a visit is in order so four days later I journey down to his office and an hour and half later, I see the doctor. He starts asking food poisoning/parasite related questions and luckily, Stacey and I had an enlightening conversation that day over lunch (is there a better lunch topic than parasites and diarrhea?) about our trip to Oklahoma. Remember the Dune trip? Uh huh. That one. After our arrival to the hell hole we rented for the weekend, good ol' Jesse decided the kitchen countertop was a beautiful spot to set his icechest and since it had a big 'ol inviting bag of ice, the countertop location seemed pretty handy. All weekend, I grabbed ice from that handy icechest and all weekend I had refreshingly cool drinks to quinch my thirst. Sure, it was full of red water, but a little Tropical Punch Gaterade floating around never hurt anyone, right? So, one night Jesse saw me reach into the icechest and hollered, "WHAT are you DOING?" to which I replied, eyebrows raised, "Um, getting some ice? Problem?" to which he replied, "Yeah, considering that icechest is full of blood from the hamburger meat!" [Silence] "Oh," was all I could muster the will to say.

Mystery of the Great Stomach Bug of 2009 solved? Yeah. I think so. Nothing a round of heavy duty antibiotics can't cure! Oh, and about that Ulcerative Colitis brochure? Apparently sent to me BY MISTAKE by an ambitious nurse who was being overly cautious. Dr. Leigh would've had her fired. (I'm KIDDING!)