Winding Down

The holidays are almost over, and with that I am going to be embarking on a very different year.

 

These last few weeks have been a flurry of activity. From the Friday that my mom passed away til now I have been constantly busy. I was off for a few days, at work for a couple, off a few more, back on... off again... on again... on monday it will all get back to the normal routine.

 

The Christmas season this year was strange. A lot of it felt like there was nothing different, but there were a lot of things that were. Instead of going with my brother and parents to christmas eve service at church, I stayed in London with Dave's family, eating and drinking and playing games and having a great time. I spent the night with his family and on Christmas morning opened presents and had a great breakfast of french toast. Then, on Christmas day afternoon we went to Toronto. There my brother and dad met up with us. Boxing day was met with more arrivals and we had the usual feast - and we managed to fit 21 people around the table.

 

There were times I wasn't aware of my mom not being there, but at other times it hit me pretty hard. Walking into the kitchen at my aunt's house, there were only 2 of them cooking dinner instead of 3... and previously 4 (we've only had one christmas without my grandma as well). A few times I felt my eyes watering when I thought about my mom but I always had someone to give me a hug.

 

It wasn't until dinner the 3rd night with all of us there that I kinda melted down. My aunt answered the phone and it was my dad, calling to make sure my brother's (non)girlfriend had made it to Toronto safely since it was incredibly foggy out. We got to talking around the table and my aunt pointed out that my dad worries a lot now and that he's always concerned that we've all made it safe and sound wherever we needed to be. I've never really thought about my dad as the worrier in the house but as my brother pointed out, he always has been. He was always the one asking me to call whenever I got somewhere. Anyway, I started to cry, which made the rest of the family kinda cry too.

 

It was good and bad, having the holidays without my mom. And I'm sure the holidays will always be hard. However, everyone is so great that I know I won't be alone.

 

And now, back in London, I'm sitting on the eve of a new year. Lets hope this one is better than the last.

--
alanna foell : professional photographer : www.afphotography.cjb.net

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Happy Merry Christmahannakwanzakah!!! Or Festivus? Holidays?

 

Either way, I hope everyone has a fantastic holiday season.

 

With all the recent changes and upheavels in my life, I decided back at the beginning of the month that I was boycotting Christmas this year. I decided to celebrate Christmas in July. However, along with that, it meant I didn't do my usual Christmas card... and boy did I have an awesome one planned for this year. Sadly, with a few key members of my family off in warmer, better places on the other side, that plan did not go through.

 

I must have somehow found a little bit of Christmas spirit, and realized I wanted to send outo a little bit of holiday cheer. So, with it being slightly slower at work than usual, I was able to find the time to create a little holiday masterpiece.

 

Happy Holidays, everyone. Enjoy your time with your families, friends and loved ones. Give out lots of hugs and think about what the people (and animals) in your life mean to you. I know I will be cherishing mine.

 

Alanna

--
alanna foell : professional photographer : www.afphotography.cjb.net

Mom - An "Essay?"

I was hoping to perhaps speak about my mom on Thurs, but decided not to. Here are some thoughts on what I was going to say

- - - -

Eh-hay, ut-way are-ay ee-way iving-gay ad-day and-ad ames-jay or-fey Istmas-say?

Thy-bey ibe-are gibetting sybome tie-bools, sybocks ibe-and, bybox-iybers.

This could have been the beginning of a normal secret conversation with me and my mom - me speaking in Pig Latin, she responding in Gibberish... I could always understand her, but could never actually form the words in the made up language.

Somewhere along the way my mom and I started to become friends. Like most girls in their early teens, I didn't believe my mom understood me. She just didn't "get" me or anything I was "about". However, as I grew up we started to see each other in a different light. Maybe it was somewhere around the time that we started to have parties at home, maybe it was after she met a few of my boyfriends, maybe it was when I got my drivers licence and she was too scared to go with me places - either way she and I started to see each other as allies instead of forces butting heads.

It was somewhere around 17 that she started to let me have parties at home where my friends came over and we openly drank around her. She was always around with us though - sitting in the kitchen playing cards with her friends, or out on the porch talking to my friends. She never let anyone that came in the door call her "Mrs Foell" - "Thats my mother in law" she would always say. "Call me mom, or Lois" she would tell my friends. She'd introduce herself to people she didnt' know as "The Mom" and everyone always called her that. She always made sure that we were well fed while partying at the house and set to work making fresh bread whenever she knew I was going to have friends over. She could be found dancing around the kitchen with my friend Mark or sitting beside Tony playing the piano. And one of her standing rules was "No F-Bombs in the kitchen!!" Everyone listened to her, because she was Mom. Most of the time when kids have parties the first question is "Are your parents going to be there?"... not very often is a "Yes" the answer that everyone gets excited about.

My cousins and I often joke that we are "a direct product of our environment" - we are so much like our mothers that it's scary. My mom was "training" me to become her long before I realized it. However, little did she know it, she was becoming me too.

After years of being completely disgusted when my brother and I would do our usual "Does this look gross just because it's in my mouth" dinner time experiment I was floored when she took a bite of food and turned to me, mouth wide open, tongue sticking out. "Gross or not gross" she said, through the mouthful of food.

Now, don't get me wrong, there were times she drove me crazy. Never one to relinquish what iota of control she might have over a situation, I had to prove myself worthy of things like pie-making skills and how to wash the dishes. I recall one such incident that I had to have Karen physically hold her back while I attempted to roll out a pie crust without her "assistance". And don't even get me started on the dishwasher - we all know Mom is the only one who went to Dishwasher University and got the necessary qualifications to load it correctly and therefore maximizing it's cleaning abilities.

Often I think my mother indulged me when I came up with ridiculous ideas. When I decided that I wanted a pet sheep as my "look at me, I've graduated from college" present, it only took a little bit of persistence to finally get her to agree. I'm sure she did it only for the story - she could tell her friends "Look at my silly daughter! Wants a sheep... now I've got another thing to look after".

When I brought my pet lizard, Dragon, home from Ottawa with me she seemed apprehensive at first but not long after I would come home from work and she'd be telling me stories about what Dragon had done through out the day.

With my mom, even the most serious of situations was taken lightly. She would crack jokes and make the best of a bad situation. I'm much like her in that way. When she went through her chemo treatments in 2005 I saw it as a reason to hang out. We went to chemo treatments together and went wig shopping together. Sometime after her treatments and surgeries we were sitting at the kitchen table and I was asking her about her breast form. Not one to miss an opportunity, she took it out and tossed it to me. Mom and I would always be doing silly and inappropriate things - be it getting into uncontrollable giggle fits at church or pointing and laughing at people when we were out on one of our excursions. I'll never forget the day she asked me to do something and I said "Would I?!" sarcastically. She responded with "Fat ass". I looked at her, shocked... until she told me a joke about the guy with a wooden eye asking the wallflower at the prom to dance... and after that it became one of those things that would just set us off on another fit of laughter.

One of my favourite memories of things we did together was when I convinced her to go trick-or-treating with me - and we dressed as each other. It was the fall after she had finished her chemo treatments and she had her wig left over. Sometime around Sept I got it in my head that we would dress up as each other. I started bugging her constantly, telling her that I would wear her clothes, she could wear mine and we'd go out visiting family friends. By the time Halloween had come around I had worn her down. She agreed to put on my clothes and I'd wear hers. I have to admit, I was probably more convincing as her than she was as me, but the fact that she actually did it amused me to no end.

I could go on and on and on about my mom and all the things we shared...and while I know I'll miss her in the years to come I know that she set me on the right path. I may not ever know the secrets of dishwasher loading or the intricate system of speaking Gibberish, but I will always remember the inside jokes we shared and the silly things we got up to.

Photos From Mom's Going Away Party

I spent Wed night before Thurs (day of the service/party) scanning old pictures of mom and putting them onto boards to display.

Click HERE to view all the pictures.

Lois Foell 1955-2008

An email I sent out to friends and family:

Hey All...
It does seem somewhat odd to be announcing this via email but this is my best bet at reaching everyone that I think would want to know.

If you didn't already know from talking to me, my mom's cancer returned in April of 2008 although not actually re-diagnosed until July 2008 when she broke her leg. She fought the good fight and did chemo and radiation again. However, this time she was not so lucky as to beat the horrible disease. Mom passed away - sorry - Mom went off to have a scotch with her family on the other side - on Friday night.

Anyone who knew my mom knows that she loved Fridays. Friday nights were always Happy Hour at my house, and it was a free to drop in kind of thing. How very appropriate that she would choose Friday night to finally quit fighting and allow herself to finally rest.

A few weeks ago when she was starting to feel defeated she told me she didn't want to have a funeral - that she wanted to have a party instead. She's always loved a good party. So, party we will.

For anyone that can make it, there will be a memorial service held at the Elmira Legion from 1-4 on Thurs Dec 18th. We will eat, drink and be merry and celebrate the life of my mom... because she wouldn't have it any other way. If you need directions, please let me know.

Many heartfelt thanks go out to all of you that have been there listening to me throughout these last few months. Your support and kindness will never be forgotten.
Alanna

Congrats To Me - I'm Officially A Mother

... to a 56 and 22 year old. Such a dubious honour!

 

Yes. I will assume the rank of M.R.F in my family - most responsible female (and therefore person overall) in the near future.

 

Somehow I imagine that this is how someone like Prince William or Henry might feel - you know you're going to take over, but you don't know when... you've spent your life learning how to "do" these things, but even when the time arrives you can't be sure exactly how you do stuff. Luckily, like with most monarchies (or matriarchies, in the case of my family) there is always people around to help out.

 

All this prefaces the fact that it has been decided that my mom isn't going to be returning home from the hospital. From what I have been told, she will be going into a hospice type care facility until it's "her time". On top of that, my dad and I have been informed that we both have power of attorney over her financial affairs - and since my dad isn't so great with all that kinda stuff that means it's up to me.

 

We worked out a system this weekend that basically comes down to the fact that I'll be taking care of making sure the bills are paid. I'm planning on setting it all up online and doing from wherever I live. As long as my dad puts money into the accounts then I'll be able to pay them.

 

It's been a bit urgent this weekend - we all worry that my mom will be gone before we have a chance to deal with transfering some of her money into my dad's accounts and all her money will be frozen. Since my mom hasn't been working my parents have slipped into quite a bit of debt and we have to figure out that situation.

 

On top of all that awesome new responsibility, my mom's cat Clyde is suffering from what we think is stress! He's been eating his feet, licking himself raw and more or less looks like he has flesh-eating disease!! I don't know whether he should come to London to live with me or what. It's a mess.

 

Normally you get to ease your way into being an adult - your parents are always there to help you out when you have questions about things like insurance, mortgages, all that kinda stuff that you don't just learn on your own. And for most people they have until they are like, 40 or 50 til they don't have their parents anymore to ask. (Or parental figures, I suppose). However, since my mom has always been the one to do all the parental stuff at my house I feel like I've just been handed the lovely honour of now being an official adult. Hurray for me.

 

I'm not totally awash in the sea though. I have my aunts and uncles there beside me to help me out with all this crap. They understand this stuff totally and I'm so glad they can help me out. Who'd have thought that my god-parents would get to assume their role of surrogate parents? (well, kinda).

 

I'm too hard on my dad sometimes, I know I am. He's a good person. However I can't say I wasn't completely pissed off on the weekend when I learned how much he spends in a month on vices - trips to the beer store, the LCBO, buying smokes. It's absolutely ridiculous!! There is no reason!!! Where I learned to become the responsible adult that I am (or have been given the honour of) I wonder. I don't smoke, drink in moderation, eat well and exercise. Not traits I learned from my family, thats for sure.

 

I need a vacation. I want to be like Zak Morris from Saved by the Bell and press pause and not have to have life happen for just a short while. I want someone to tell me the answers and make everything work out for me. And I want it now, not down the road. Yes, it will all work out - or at least it will feel like it has, but that feeling will not come quickly.

 

Christmas in July

I've decided that because of all the crappy stuff going on in my life currently I am not celebrating Christmas this year. It's one added stress that I just can not add to the already precariously swaying pile of b.s that is my life.

So therefore, Christmas will be in July. I will decorate a tree in my yard, I will give gifts in the summer and I will enjoy a ice cream cone instead of a massive turkey dinner. Maybe by then my mom will be better. Maybe she won't, it's hard to say, but it's something to work towards instead of working against.

Mom's back in the hospital - it's more serious than last time. On Friday she went in for a routine blood check. She'd been feeling very sluggish and out of it, and figured she would require a transfusion. However, once they had taken her blood they instructed her to go home and they would call with the results as it was taking longer than usual.
Before she got home though, the hospital had called numerous times saying to come back right away, her blood count was down at 35, compared to the normal 120 that a healthy person lives at. Technically speaking, there is no reason she should have still been alive. People's bodies just do not function with that little blood and oxygen.
They pumped her full of 4 bags of blood - thats 4 pints/a litre (I think) - over night on Friday and started to monitor her vitals. Because of the extreme lack of oxygen, her heart had to work 3x as hard and thus she was at risk for a heart attack and/or stroke.
Currently she's still extremely exhausted, even though they have got her blood counts up to about 90. She doesn't make much sense when she talks and drifts in and out of sleep.
I don't figure they are letting her out of the hospital until she's capable of functioning somewhat independently - and she has someone to help her out at home. And because there isn't anyone who is able to be home 24 hours a day I don't imagine when that time will come.

I am exhausted. Mentally I have just checked out. I go about my daily functions and try to find something each day that makes me smile. Work is a good distraction, but the minute the weekend comes I'm back in the car driving home again to see the family. I need a vacation - put my life on hold and just go somewhere. Where? I don't care. When? Now would be preferable, but I can't really do that.

I try not to think about what is going to happen down the road. I don't like to think about having to move home. Thankfully no one has put that pressure on me recently.

I don't want anything for Xmas this year, nor do I want to feel I should give people things. Yes, it's better to give than to receive - however I don't have the ambition to come up with any ideas for what people would like - and a cop-out gift is not something I want to do. Instead I'll take up the holidays at a different time.

There is only one thing I want this holiday season - for my mom to get better, or to go in peace, if thats what fate has in store for her. I don't want her to suffer any longer, and I don't want my family to have to constantly be thinking "what if".

Fear

Things have gone downhill since last I wrote.

 

As I said last time, my mom has been doing her chemo treatments etc. Her blood counts always go down with each treatment, which impairs the doing of the next treatment... and on top of all that the treatments do not appear to be doing much of anything.

 

I went home on Sat and my mom confessed to me that her doctor says that they are in a corner - the treatments aren't really having the desired effect, and with her blood going down all the time they can't give her more treatments. Basically, we're fucked.

 

The way my father so eloquently put it it could be 3 days or 3 weeks but they basically don't know how much longer she may have left. He said that through the week he didn't think she'd make it. Like everyone she has her good days and her bad days - it's too bad her bad days are the ones that bring her so close to us losing her.

 

I never thought I was afraid of anything. I'm pretty fearless. This whole thing has brought fear out of me though. I'm terrified of life without my mom around. In the last 5 or 6 years we've gone from being mother/daughter to actually being friends. She's been my partner in crime for a few things now. There are so many things that I am not ready to not have taken away from me - who am I going to call when I'm at the grocery store and want to know what size of turkey to buy? Who do I call when I need to know exactly how a recipe works or what spices to use? Or how long I'm supposed to cook asparagus/corn/potatoes for? All these things are things I know, deep in the recesses of my mind the answers are there, but they are reasons I call my mom.

 

My mom has always been there for me. What I will do without her, I have no idea.

 

The other part of it that terrifies me is the fact that I will almost positively have to move home to take care of my brother and father. Dad doesn't think he can keep the house if it's just him and my brother. I think he's more terrified of being alone. I've just moved away and attempted to set up my own life and now I'm being pressured to come home and seemingly devote myself to taking care of my father and brother for the rest of my existence.

 

Dad doesn't understand that I can't just pack up and move home - that it took 4 months to get my transfer down here finalized and that there isn't a place to return to in Waterloo. If I am to return it would involve me finding a new job - and I don't have the energy to find a new job on top of everything else.

 

I guess I'll have to send him money, I don't know. I don't want to lose my childhood home - I fully intend to own that house someday. I've been tossing that idea around my head as well - buying the house off of my parents and then having it for ever.

 

I don't do "depressed" well. I cried so much yesterday that my nose and cheeks are dried out and scabby from the salt water from my eyes and the kleenex used to mop it up. I had a lovely puffy face yesterday and beet red eyes to go along with it. On top of all that I felt sick to my stomach from thinking too hard. And I was getting super annoyed by the end of it. My brain and heart/soul were conflicting - my brain was like "God, get a grip on yourself. Just calm down and stop your weeping." Every time someone asks how I'm doing it's enough for my eyes to fill up and me to get choked up. And it's driving me crazy.

 

I know I have a great support system. I have friends and family who are there for me. They help take care of my mom at home, and they are there to listen to me when I need them. I know I'll get through this even though it will be horrible the whole way though. I just wish someone had the power to reverse time and we could have fixed this before it all started.

--
alanna foell : professional photographer : www.afphotography.cjb.net

Life Changes

I am feeling very stagnant lately, like I need a new career, or at least something with some challenges and excitement. I'm not sure exactly what I would want to do. I've been checking out the colleges and what different ones offer in terms of programs and whatever but haven't been able to decide if any of them offer what I want.

 

Or maybe I don't know what I want.

 

I've been considering something in the medical field. Being a paramedic could be interesting, I wonder if I could do that. It would definitely be a challenge and I would be able to use my delagating and problem solving skills.

 

Downside to that whole idea is that I would have to start school all over again, for 2 more years. Get another student loan, get an upgraded drivers licence and have to do a whole bunch of stuff. However, I think paramedics make a good chunk of money... something like $25/h to start. Wouldn't be too bad. I'd get those loans paid off pretty quick I'd guess. And maybe I could have just one job. Hmm. Decisions decisions.

 

 

- - - - - -

On another note, my mom is back in the hospital. Her blood counts have been low and they have done a few more transfusions. She's been looking better than she has in a long time though, more colour back in her face and her ankles have gone down. They've been swollen for a while now.

 

Not entirely sure how long she'll be in the hospital for, but personally I think she's better off there than at home. She at least can get some rest without thinking about whats going on around home and attempting to get stuff done.

 

No word from the doctors on whether her treatments are helping. They've recently changed what drugs they are pumping her full of since the other chemo drugs weren't doing anything. Not sure when they will know if this new batch is helping or not.

--
alanna foell : professional photographer : www.afphotography.cjb.net

A bit down

Feeling a bit down today...

 

As I'm sure I've stated before, my mom is undergoing her second attempt at defeating breast cancer. This time, however, it's a lot harder as she's also trying to mend her broken leg at the same time. She's been rendered pretty much useless, as the chemo treatments take a lot out of her and she can't really get around much as it is due to her leg. The whole thing has taken a lot out of the whole family and I think we're all feeling the effects.

 

My dad has taken on a lot of the "domestic" duties he's never had to do before, especially now that I'm not living at home. My brother doesn't help out at all, but rather stays out of the house instead.

 

The reason I'm feeling so down today though isn't about all that. It's more about the fact that I'm starting to feel like no one is telling me the full story. I got an email from my cousin the other day following her parent's visit to see my mom just saying how she's there for me etc. Then, hours later I got an email from my aunt saying that my dad was confiding in her, telling her that he's scared etc and that he's having a hard time dealing with it all. All this concern coming out of nowhere seems like theres something more to it than before.

 

My mom isn't one to tell people that she's scared. She's stubborn and determinded to do it herself. She feels she's protecting us from the severity of the situation by not telling us all thats going on, like her odds of beating this etc. My dad isn't one to belt out his feelings either, so the fact that he's struggling with all this is not something he's about to announce to the world. I don't know if they resent my not being around home more or what, but I'm sure it's there.

 

My mind goes in circles about whats going to happen. If my mom is to recover, it's going to be a long slow trek with I'm sure many bumps along the way. In some ways I feel my not being there is not the end of the world as my brother and dad need to learn to take care of themselves. Of course I'm always going to be around but I'm not ready to give up my whole life just as it's getting going to baby sit them for eternity. On the otherhand the thought of my mom not being around is terrifying and I honestly don't know how I would cope with it all. More than likely I'd shut myself off from the world. I'm not really much different from the rest of my family. I'll discuss "problems" til the cows come home but when it's a for-real-actual-serious problem I'd rather just deal with it all in my own quiet shut-out-the-world way.

 

I guess the hardest part is that there really isn't anything we can do to make this get better faster. It's not like there is a miracle solution thats available. We've got to wait it out and watch everything suck in the meantime.

 

I've decided that come spring I'm going to fundraise for breast cancer and shave my head. I figure the best thing I can do is help to raise money for the cause and eventually people will no longer suffer.

 

I've also decided that the minute I find a lump in either of my breasts I am chopping them off. They just aren't worth the trouble.

--
alanna foell : professional photographer : www.afphotography.cjb.net

A month in...

It's been close to a month since I settled myself here in London town... things are going well, not too much to report.

 

I've got my place more or less to a "me" standard... pictures on the wall, my stuff sprawled everywhere, that kinda thing. I'm working on getting my bedroom to feel like a cozy place to sleep, it's taking longer than I hoped it would.

 

I've settled into both jobs now too. TC isn't bad, though I'm not really "close" to any of the girls I work with. Part of it is an age thing, as 2 of the 3 people I work with are in the 40+ with kids range, and part of it is the fact that the boss lady keeps a tight rope around all our necks and it's hard to branch out at times I think.

 

Henry's is much like the other Henry's out there. The people are friendly and around my age. They invite me out to do stuff and are easy to chat with. Sad thing is though, I'm the oldest of the young people! Made me feel like a lifer!! There are the 2 managers and the 2 old sales guys.. and then me! Everyone else is below me. Oh my. But they are fun. It's a similar atmosphere to the other stores I've been in. Waterloo still wins though. I miss the people there!

 

I joined up at Goodlife, and I purchased some sessions with a personal trainer. It's been a good way to get myself back into the swing of the gym and what not. She's funny, and I could see us being friends outside of the gym. Not sure how that would come about, but it might happen. ??

 

I've been back home fairly often, helping my mom out. She's doing alright, considering the circumstances, but I feel bad for not being there more often.

 

Life here still doesn't really feel completely permanent. Maybe it's because I know I wont be at Christian's forever, but London just doesn't feel like "home" yet. It's getting better but I can't help but wonder how long it'll take til I think of this as where I live.

--
alanna foell : professional photographer : www.afphotography.cjb.net

Changes

I've almost completed a whole week down here in London town... I'm 4 days into the new office, I've got it figured out where stuff is and all that. It's just been me and one other woman all week, and there are more people returning next week and I'm anticipating meeting more people.

 

I've gone by the Henry's here in town and met a few of the people there, and am feeling positive about the people I'll be working with there.  I don't start there til next week, but I think it will be good times.

 

Already changes around here have been happening. I originally thought I would be working at the university office here in London (where I am now) but it's sounding like I'm going to be moving to the downtown office instead. Not sure what that means really. I can understand the reasoning behind the whole move, since if I didn't go there then there would only be one girl working there and for all kinds of reasons that just isn't a great thing. However, I was looking forward to being here at the Uni, with the free parking and seeing Dave and what not. I could end up bouncing between offices, can't be too sure.

 

All in all the move down here has gone well. I've settled myself in and am more comfortable in my surroundings. I'm looking forward to making more friends and knowing people in the city, but thats one of those things that comes in time.

 

Lets see what the world has to offer.

 

Home Sweet Home?

So I moved to London this weekend, which is exciting and kinda confusing all at once.

 

It doesn't feel permanent yet, the fact that I now live down here and such. I started working at my new office this morning, and it's interesting as I don't know exactly where everything is, and I don't have all my sign-on info for the office so I'm slightly limited until all that is worked out.

 

I've got some pictures of the new pad, just have to upload them when i get a chance. I'm super excited about having fast internet again!!! 

 

Work is very very slow, with it being summer and all. Hopefully it picks up in the next couple of weeks. I'm sure it will, with student cards and that sort of thing.

 

It's weird... I had a desk at my old job and now I have a wicket... I also don't have any cell phone reception, so my days of texting people day in and day out may be over.

 

I'm not looking forward to doing my groceries tonight, but it's probably for the better! Eating lunch out gets pricey fast! I'm going to turn into a health food nut as I'm going to subsist on fruit and basic stuff I'm sure. I'm going to make a conscious effort to not live on pitas and hummous though. Gotta make some food and bring lunches!! Pasta and stuff like that is good for me.  Also rice. I love rice and soya sauce... I'm a nerd like that. 

 

 

 

Moving ... and the other things new in my life.

I don't remember if I mentioned this already, but if I haven't, I'll do so now...

I'm moving to London! Whoot!!! London, ONTARIO that is, for all that might get confused by the idea I'm moving overseas. Maybe someday, just not quite yet.

 

I'm moving in with one of Dave's friends, and taking over his basement. I'm pretty excited about the whole thing. I moved some stuff down on this past weekend and I'm taking some more stuff down tonight. I found a great deal on a bed (Qn size bed, mattress and beside table for $350!!) and got a desk ($90) and am borrowing a futon from Christian (the guy I'm gonna live with). Dave's loaning me his giant bookshelf, and soon I'll have my whole basement set up just to my liking!

 

I think my favourite part of moving anywhere is the part where I get to decorate to my liking! I've been obsessing over what colours to paint, how to decorate etc. I never get anywhere to hang my pictures, and now I have multiple rooms! I've got a bedroom (which is really all it is, a room with my bed!) and a spare room (not sure what it will be yet. Maybe a studio of sorts. It would be nice to have a place to set my lights up more permanently. It'll probably be storage for the most part. I've also got my own bathroom and a "common" area at the bottom of the stairs.

 

I officially move in on Aug 24th (or there-abouts) and start working in London on the 25th. I'm continuing working for the same 2 companies I work for now, selling travel at one and cameras at the other. Lucky me was able to transfer both jobs to the new location!

 

Other than all that, my life has been pretty hectic. I was in Ireland with my cousins for 10 days at the end of July, which was a blast. Pictures can be seen HERE.

 

Also, my mom has been recovering from her broken leg, though the whole situation is not as easy as we might have liked. It seems the break was caused by migrating breast cancer cells taking up residence in her hip area and weakening the bone. She has gone for radiation on the area and is starting some chemotherapy to help reduce the presence of the cells and get her back to being healthy.

 

It's odd, in my family we don't really discuss things, we just deal with them and get back on track without much ado. My mom is incredibly outgoing but when it comes to herself and her health issues she is very quiet and doesn't really tell many people about the whole situation. She'd much rather go about her treatments without anyone making a fuss if at all possible. I do my best to just be around and be available for if she needs me, and I feel bad at times leaving to move to London at this particular point in time. But London isn't very far and it's not like she's being left alone.

 

The only other thing thats really happened lately is that we've lost our dog, Charlie, whom we've had for 3, maybe 4 years now. He has been getting up there in years and his health has been failing. On sunday morning my dad found him laying in the lane way, unable to get up and struggling for breath. We made the decision there to put him down. He came to us after living on a farm, being outside and chained up for years. He was a yard dog, and his job was to protect the house and bark when people came in. The people he lived with moved to town and had no where to keep him and thus we got hime. He spent the last few years living in luxury, being allowed to roam free and come inside the house as well as had a best friend in Roscoe, our beagle.

 

I'm sure in time we'll take in another dog, as we rarely get "new" dogs and instead offer what seems to be hospice services to poor old dogs. I know people will say how they sorry they are and all that, but I hardly feel sad about it. I'm not sure if that makes me a bad person or what, but I haven't cried over the loss of a pet in 10 years, since my own dog, Dot the dalmation, was hit by a car in front of me. Since then I guess I've just realized that we have pets, and we lose pets and thats just how it goes. I've had something close to 10 dogs in my lifetime, and I learned early about the facts of life. Whether that makes me cold and uncaring, or just a realist, I don't know.

--
alanna foell : professional photographer : www.afphotography.cjb.net

Greece : Cruisin, Boozin, Snoozing - Day 6/7 - July 11/12 2008

We got off the boat at about 8am, got onto a coach bus and made our way back to Syntagma Square. We said our goodbyes to all of our travel companions, and then made our way to Hermes Hotel to stash our bags until we met up with Christian later in the morning. We found an internet cafe to send a few emails and then went to kill time in a nice, air conditioned Starbucks.

 

Around 10:40 we made our way back to Syntagma were we met up with Christian, who'd booked us a hostel for the night before we had to leave at 3am to make it to the airport on time. We went back and grabbed our bags and then took the metro to the next stop, got off the train and made our way to the hostel. The hostel was in a bit sketchier area of town than the old Plaka area, but the place itself wasn't too bad.

 

Christian's brother Dominic was sleeping when we got there. We dropped our stuff off and decided what we wanted to do. We decided we were hungry and went to get some eats. We found out that all Christian had eaten since he got to Greece was gyros, the traditional Greek fast food. Well, that and greek salad... probably cuz those 2 things are the cheapest thing on the menu most places. 

 

We went for a walk, even though we were tired, and had a beer on a cute little patio. While we were sitting there random people kept coming up and wanting to sell us stuff. No even kidding, we had a lady selling linens, one selling roses, a guy with paintings and someone selling asian looking fans. Crazy. 

 

We went back to the hostel after that and Dave fell asleep. Christian went out for a bit and then came back. I'd napped a bit,  but for all the lack of sleep we'd had the whole time on the boat I wasn't tired. So I went to use the internet in the hostel, and then went to figure out how far teh bus stop was from our hostel. I'd realized by looking at the map that we really weren't very far from where we'd stayed the first time, and upon going for our walk I found out it was about 5 min further away. It took me less than 15 min to walk from the hostel to the bus stop, which I thought was kinda funny as the metro trip took longer.

 

I got the bus times, bought bus tickets, and went and bought some souveniers. I'm terrible about getting souveniers so I thought I was doing alright to have that taken care of. I walked back to the hostel and by then I was pretty hungry so I got everyone up and we went for dinner. Dave and I had kebabs and Christian and his brother had greek salad. We went back to the hostel and had to figure out our flights and transit between airports.

 

Upon investigation it seemed we needed about 2 hours between flights to get to the airport, and that woudl be pushing it pretty close. The only possible problem we might have is if our flight from Athens to London was late. We kept our fingers crossed and hoped for the best.

 

The hostel had a cute rooftop patio and offered free Ouzo, so we all had a shot and then more or less called it a night. Dave and I had to plan on leaving around 2am in order to make it to the airport around 3am to get our flight that left at 5:30am. We walked to the bus stop, got on and got to the airport without any difficulty.

 

And then disaster struck. We looked at the board showing flight times and saw that our flight to London was delayed by an hour and a half. This was the worst possible thing that could have happened!!! Immediately I called our insurance company to find out what we could do, if we were covered etc. They said that we would be covered provided that the delay was caused by one of four reasons: accident, road closure, weather or mechanical failure. She said I would also require something from the airline stating this was the case. After we checked our baggage we went over to the customer service desk but they weren't helpful at all.

 

We spent the next 3 hours drinking coffee, and checking what airlines were leaving from London to Toronto that we might be able to fly with. There wasn't much from Gatwick, but we were able to find a flight from Heathrow that left around 2pm.

 

As soon as we landed in London Luton I was on the phone with Air Transat telling them we weren't going to make our flight and that we would need a new flight from London Heathrow. She booked us, but the sad thing was that for the two of us to fly it cost $1400! I didn't want to spend a tonne of money in the event the insurance wouldn't cover us, so we went with our cheapest option.

 

I called our family to tell them of the change and we proceeded to get ourselves to Heathrow, which took at least an hour and a half. Once we got there we rushed from the underground to the terminal and then had to go through a few hoops to get our ticket figured out, but after that we were all cleared to go.

 

After all of the hassle with our flights, our Air Transat flight back was pretty nice. The seats were probably the roomiest of all the ones we'd been on, and even though we didn't have our own TVs in the back of our seats we could watch the movies they were showing for everyone and all that.

 

A somewhat anticlimactic ending to the story, but we made it home safe and sound to Toronto, and my aunt and uncle picked us up at the airport before taking us back to my other aunt and uncle's house. We held on as long as we could and went to bed relatively early.

 

Got up sunday and hung around til about noon when my aunt Jane brought us home to my house... finally, after all the travelling, home sweet home!!!!

--
alanna foell : professional photographer : www.afphotography.cjb.net

Greece : Cruisin, Boozin, Snoozing - Day 5 - July 10 2008

This was our last day on the boat. Dave and I slept in til 8:30 (after being up at 6 every other day, this was SUCH a treat.) and managed to miss breakfast completely. We were docked in Crete, at Heraklion (Iraklion, if you ask the Greeks) and we didn't have anything booked. By the time we got ourselves up and moving, we only had about an hour and a half to head into town. Our only mission was to find the internet cafe and send a couple emails, and find something to eat.

 

There isn't much in terms of quicky food in most of Greece, and I downright refuse to eat american fast food while in a country with it's own fantastic cuisine, so eventually we found a coffee shop that had some croissants. I got a delicious chocolate croissant and I don't remember what Dave got. We went to the internet place and then turned back towards the boat.

 

Our next stop was Santorini, which we had heard from Christian was beautiful. We arrived there early in the day. We had a tour booked to take us to Oia, (Eee-ya) which is where most of the pictures you see of Greece are taken. It's the home of the multiple blue domed churches and white washed buildings. It was absolutely gorgeous. I took a billion pictures, almost all of which look like the many postcards you could buy.

 

After the tour to Oia, we went back to Thira (Fira to the Greeks) where we didnt' have nearly as much time as we would have liked. The city itself is built WAY up on the top of the island, away from the port to protect themselves from pirates. If you were to walk up to the city, you'd be going up 588 steps, all of which are about 3 feet long and on a bit of a slope, covered in donkey crap and made of cobble stones that have been worn smooth and slippery over the many years. To get down we had a couple of options. We could go down by foot (no thanks), by cable car (meh) or by donkey. Guess which I picked, much to Dave's chagrin. Hehee. We'd been warned by the older lady on our boat to not take the donkeys down the hill, but our own Contiki tour guides told us it was fun and to do it. I know Dave would have MUCH rather taken the cable car, but I was dead set on the donkey.

 

It was the most hilarious thing I have done. Being competant with horseback riding, it wasnt really all that scary at all. The worst part was the fact that we didn't have anything but a loop at the top of the saddle to hold onto. No reins or anything like that. The donkeys just knew to go down the hill, and they did that regardless of who or what was in their way. That includes people and other donkeys. My donkey liked to be at the front of the pack and would bite any one who got in his way.

 

Once safely down the mountain, amazed at the sure-footedness of the animals, we got back on a little boat and went back to the ship. Most of our group had gone to do a different excursion that involved trekking up an active volcano and swimming in a sulpher pool. That one sounded really exciting too, but I really was tired of hiking up hills in the heat and wanted to get some good pictures to take home. We showered, changed and got ready for dinner.

 

We went to the restaurant again but this time we were just seated wherever. We ended up at a table with all americans. That wasn't much fun at all. It was two older couples, somehow all of them were all teachers, and they were just so.... american. Dinner conversation went from stuff about travel and school and such to people being executed and other depressing topics such as. Dave and I got out of there soon after we were finished dinner.

 

Our group decided to have a toga party that night, as it was our last night on the ship. We went back to our room and got ourselves all toga-ed up. After dressing we went to the disco and met up with the rest of the group. The night was a lot of fun, and we were up til at least 2am. We had to meet up with the group at 7am in the lounge, which wasn't enjoyable, and so not much sleep happened.

Greece : Cruisin, Boozin, Snoozin - Day 4 - July 9th 2008 - Part 2

My apologies for taking so long to finish this account of our trip... I'll attempt to finish that today!!

 

So, after we got back from the beach at Rhodes, we had our "elegant" dinner booked at the restaurant. We didn't have assigned seating this time, so we sat with a few of the other couples. Dinner was wonderful, as it always seemed to be in the restaurant. The staff in the restaurant had a surprise for us as well, which was amusing. All the lights went down, music started playing and the servers and other staff came out with Baked Alaska dessert for all of us to have. They performed a few songs, complete with some show-stealers (whom I couldn't quite see because I'd opted to not wear my glasses... Apparently the guy that I thought looked a lot like Cuba Gooding Jr. was actually asian. Oops.

 

After dinner we went to the pub, and then to the disco. We were going to play Killer Kings, but were having a hard time agreeing on all the rules. It was hot and loud in the disco so we went up to the pool bar. Kings was forgotten about, but a game called Yee-Haw! was started. The only rule was that they couldn't tell us the rules... and if you broke a rule, you'd have to drink. The idea was that you'd have to pay attention and follow the lead of everyone else. It was pretty fun.

 

Yee Haw! turned into Thumper, which I had never heard of before. You can play it clean and you can play it dirty, and with a group of 20-somethings you can imagine which way it went. The idea was that we'd all each pick a sexual action. Mine was a boob grab. Amoungst some of the much dirtier actions there was also Ass Slap, Shocker and Pelvic Thrust. We sat in a circle and started a clapping rthymn. One person would start by doing their action and then doing someone else's. This passed it to the next person. That person would then do their action and someone else's. If you messed up, either by not doing something fast enough, or doing it wrong, you had to drink. The game was hilarious. Earlier in the night there had been these younger kids roaming about the boat in togas (aka bedsheets!). A couple of them happened by our game and asked if they could join. We didn't know their names, so from then on we referred to them by their action (cock-slap and blow job)

 

We played until about 3am when we all gave up because our legs hurt from all the leg slapping. At that point we called it a night... we didn't have to get up for any excursions so we were actually able to sleep in!!!

--
alanna foell : professional photographer : www.afphotography.cjb.net

Greece - Cruisin, Boozin, Snoozin - Day 4 - July 9th

We woke up early and we were in Rhodes. We actually were going to spend a whole day on one island!

 

We had a tour booked for the morning, so off the boat we got, nice and early, and met with our tour guide, a funny man who's accent we couldn't quite pin-point. He had a spanish look about him, but he had a pseudo-british accent that came and went. And at some point I couldn't get past the fact that I realized he looked like Robin Williams in Aladdin - yes, I am aware he was a cartoon, but the look was the same.

 

We started out our day with a walk through the medival city of Rhodes, in which people still live in. We learned about how the city protected itself from intruders (not one, but 2 moats!) and all about the cannonballs etc. As the sun crept higher in the sky we worked our way through the city before getting into a coach bus and headed off to Lindos, another small city on the other side of the island.

 

On the way to Lindos we stopped at this little gas-station/pottery shop place where we went inside and were taught the beauty of handmade pottery. A guy at a foot-powered wheel demonstrated to us how a clay pot is made, and then, in front of all our eyes sliced it in half!! The point was to show us how REAL pots have ridges from the maker's hands on the inside and factory made ones do not. We were also shown how pottery is painted and fired, as well as how proper REAL pottery will not break or scratch. The latter was demonstrated by first scraping a coin over the face of a plate repeatedly, and then taking a clay urn and SMASHING it on the table over and over again. It's durable stuff. It's meant to be used!

 

In Lindos is the acropolis, which stands upon a huge hill. Yes, another huge hill that we were to climb up. 358 stairs or something like that. And so we climbed. In more scorching heat. The stairs are old rock, worn smooth by thosands of people climbing them for the last who knows how many years... and people were going up as well as down, which made it a long process. By the time we finally made it to the top we were roasting. We passed through the gates and our guide let us go to explore. From the top of the fortress you could see SO much. It was an oven, mind you, but the view was fantastic.

 

We didn't stay up there too long before heading back down the hill to the city core. It was slightly scary walking on the sidewalks which were made of small round stones all laid together in mosaic patterns (I admire the people with the patience to do the work to make them). I was dying for something to eat so we stopped and got a crepe with fresh fruit and icecream. Then we made our way back to the bus.

 

We had to wait for a shuttle to take us back up to our bus (it was up on a hill and it was crazy hot and we didn't want to walk). While waiting there was this old guy, big fat hairy stomach, with his shirt rolled up to his boobs... and he seemed to insist on pressing his sweaty midsection into me repeatedly. Not so much fun!

 

Eventually we gave up waiting for the shuttle and got a taxi, all of 4 euros took us to the top. Probably more than we needed to spend but thats okay. I was away from Mr. Hairy Sweaty Gut and back on the nice cool bus.

 

I think pretty much everyone fell asleep on the trip back to Rhodes. Once we got back to the boat we ate lunch on board and got ready to go to the beach. Dave and I had some laundry to do and we were told to go to a place that would wash, dry and fold our laundry for 5euros. It took FOREVER to find the place. The streets in Rhodes do not make any sense at all. After we dropped off our clothes we headed towards the beach. Again, with the streets that don't make sense this took a while longer than necessary.

 

Once we finally found the beach we settled ourselves on one of the lounges with an umbrella. Before we had a chance to get to the water, a lady came over and started saying "Ticket??" and we told her we didnt' have one. We asked how much and she said 2 euros... and she started filling out tickets while Dave gave her money. When he gave her money she looked in his hand like he was crazy and said 8 euros!!! So we said "eff that, we'll lay on the stones!"

 

We played in the water for a while before I got annoyed and suggested we go buy goggles somewhere. I bought us some cheapo goggles and then we found a new place to swim. In the water we took pictures with my underwater camera and entertained ourselves by chasing fish around.  Eventually we'd had enough and went to pick up our laundry. On the way back to the boat I stopped and bought some shells as souveniers from a boat docked in the port.

 

... more to follow in another post!! ...

--
alanna foell : professional photographer : www.afphotography.cjb.net

Greece - Cruisin, Boozin, Snoozin - Day 3 - July 8 2008

After our first night on the ship we woke up in Turkey! We had booked an excursion to Ephesus which started early in the morning, so we had to meet the group at about 7am. And we had to be ready and have eaten by this point. Not an easy task, let me tell you.

We disembarked in the port of Kusadasi (pronounced Kush-a-dah-suh) where we met our guide, this cute little Turkish woman, probably not more than 30 years old. She told us about the town and the Turks in general as we drove about 20 min to the ancient city of Ephesus.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephesus (if you're at all interested. Wiki can probably explain better than I can!)

The ancient city was amazing. Way back in the first century (I think) it was buried by an earthquake. Then, sometime since 1900 people realized that Kusadasi was the location of the ancient city and started excavating. Both Dave and I were amazed at how advanced the Romans were, with their aquaducts and sewer systems. The streets are made of marble and everything is amazingly well preserved, considering it has spent a couple thousand years under the ground!

After the tour of Ephesus, which I could probably go on about for a lot longer, we went back to Kusadasi and saw a demonstration of how the turks make carpets. Our guide told us about how this is a dying art, and how it's often virgin girls who make these carpets as their dowry for when they get married. It's incredible how they make the carpets, with the intricate designs and colours. Some can take months to finish.

When the demo was over, Dave and I roamed about the town walking through the bazaar to find some things to take home to people. Everywhere you looked there were Evil Eyes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil_eye#Protective_talismans_and_cures) for sale. I bought a few, "bartering" to get a better price. Everything fashion that you saw was probably counterfeit. They were selling LaCoste t-shirts for 3euros. Yeah. Not real. Designer bags, watches and sunglasses were also everywhere.

Because it was on our list of things to do in Turkey, we went for turkish coffee. Basically, it is super concentrated coffee with sludge in the bottom. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_coffee) We found a little cafe that had baklava (mmmmmm) as well as turkish coffee so we sat down. The server asked if we wanted it sweet or extra sweet, so being people who only put milk in our coffee normally we opted for "sweet". The coffee arrived in tiny little cups with a bit of froth on top. I took a sip... it kind of had a sandy texture. Weird. Very weird. But not bad. The baklava was awesome (as it always is) and with the exception of the arrogant American family sitting at the table behind us the whole experience was a treat. I definitely want to return to Turkey at some point. The country intrigues me.

Back on boat by 11, we ate some lunch and then grabbed our books and read on deck until our stop at Patmos. The sun was climbing higher in the sky and with it went the temperature. It was supposed to reach about 40 before the day was over.

In Patmos is St. John's Grotto and Monestary. Our Contiki guides had advised us against taking the tour organized by the ship and instead offered to take us up to the Grotto. We started the walk, which quickly became a hike up a 45 or 50 degree angle of smooth rocks with no shade. Not realizing the extent of this "walk" I had only worn flip flops. My feet were killing me. It took about 20 min to walk up to the top, where we waited in line to see the Grotto.

Story goes that St. John was exiled here from Ephesus and made to stay in a cave. He was old and blind and he smacked his head a few times on the roof. While unconcious he had visions, and in the visions God told him to write the book of Revelations. So, he told his scribe who was with him all the things he had seen.

The Grotto (cave) has been converted into a holy place and people are expected to wear skirts/long pants as well as have their shoulders covered. No pictures were allowed to be taken.

After the Grotto the group was continuing up the long hot trail to the monestary, but Dave and I were roasting and instead opted to go to the beach that was in town. We walked back down the hill, found a place to lay on the beach and ventured into the water. It was cold. And salty. I'm always forgetful of how gross salt water is. Blech.

Eventually we had to go back to the boat, and once on board had time for a nap before our dinner with Contiki in the restaurant. It was blue and white night, so we all got ready and went to the restaurant for dinner. We were seated with 6 Australians, interestingly enough who were all currently living in London. After dinner we went up to the pool bar and sat around with other members of our group until about 1am...

Rhodes in the morning... and morning comes quickly.

Greece - Cruisin, Boozin, Snoozin - Day 2 July 7th 2008

We got up early to meet the group for breakfast at Hotel Hermes, where we had toast and eggs and yogurt with honey and fruit. I was delighted by this, as I LOVE yogurt. Dave was not so excited, as he loathes it. Ah well. It's good for ya.

We gathered up our stuff and walked to Syntagma Square to meet our coach to take us to Pireaus Port, about 20 min away. Once we got there we had to wait in line until customs opened up and let us board the cruise ship. Greece runs on "ish-time" which means they start things 9-ish... While standing in line we made friends with some Australians. Finally, about 9:45 or so we were on board. As we boarded we were given blue swipe cards and had our picture taken. The swipe cards would be our boarding pass onto the ship as well as our payment for drinks aboard the ship.

We went to our room, which was little more than a box with 2 beds across from each other. Our bathroom wasn't much larger than a closet and the closet wasn't much bigger than a ... I don't know. It was small.

We had a lifejacket trial run at 11. Dave and I took pictures of each other looking super cool.

After the lifejacket thing we went and paid for our all inclusive drinks package on the boat, which entitled us to as much as we wanted to drink between 10am and 2am. Not too bad since drinks on the boat were like, 4.75euros, and the drinks package was 20euros a day.

We spent the day on deck reading and such. Eventually we arrived in Mykonos. We had to take tender boats over to shore. Once on shore Haley, our tour guide showed us around the island before letting us free. Dave and I walked around took pictures and then went to find somewhere to eat. We had some saganaki (fried cheese) and greek beer. After that we went to an internet cafe to let the world know we were still alive.

We had to be back on board by about 8pm, so we got back early. Once on board we went and found some dinner in the buffet and then wandered into the pub. Sitting at the table were 2 of the guys from our group so we introduced ourselves.

These guys were from NZ and they were just hilarious. We heard all kinds of stories, about their 21st birthday, about a "ginger pig" that kept coming around, and about how the one guy is always "spewing" (stories that were always accompanied with "blech!" sounds to illustrate exactly what spewing consisted of).

Eventually we ended up at the pool bar, sitting and drinking until they shut down. After that the guys went down to the disco (which we named "the highschool dance" due to the amount of awkward teenager types trying to woo each other with their lame dance skills...) and Dave and I went to bed. In our separate beds across the room from each other.

5:30 am was going to come early.

Greece - Cruisin, Boozin, Snoozin - Day 1 July 6th 2008

July 6

We got up super duper early at Sonya's house, as I think I mentioned in that other post, and went to the train station to catch the Gatwick Express to the airport. We got to the airport, checked our stuff in and went to the gate.

LONGEST TREK EVER!! I swear it took at least 15 min to walk to our gate, and we probably had to run it cuz I was sure we'd be late. Our flight to Athens was booked with Easyjet (more about them later... grr!) and they have a strange policy regarding seating. Basically it's first come, first served.... which means it's a free for all.

We got on the plane, had somewhat okay seats, and settled in. There was no entertainment, no beverages, no nothing. Talk about no frills flights!! We left London at about 7:30am (we sat on the tarmac for an hour waiting to take off) and arrived in Greece around 12:30 or so. We went through the airport, got our passports stamped and went outside to find the bus. My only and immediate thoughts upon exiting the airport was this: "holy crap, I can't understand ANYTHING in this country and it's freaking HOT here". We found the bus to take us to Syntagma Square, which I knew was close to our hotel, and got on. As the bus drove, Dave fell asleep leaving me to try to pay attention and know where we were and what was going on.

When the bus stopped, we got off the bus and tried to figure out where we were supposed to go to get to the hotel All I had was a name and an address. We looked around, all the signs were Greek. We saw a bus shelter across the street and went to look on it. It was all Greek. Finally we asked a guy, who pointed us down the street. We went down the street, which eventually ended. When it ended we didnt' know which way to go, but picked right and walked about a block and a half before running into a girl with a suitcase with a contiki brochure in her hand. Excited, I said "Are you looking for Hermes hotel!?" and she looked frightened, relieved and confused all at once. She had asked a cabbie for directions and he'd pointed her down the street. Together we walked down the street and eventually found the place. Nice place it was too!

We checked in, and upon check in we were informed that we were actually staying at a different hotel!! Not really excited about that. The guy gave us directions, told us to come back to Hermes for our meeting that night, and bid us farewell. So off Dave and I went again to find our hotel. It wasn't too far away, just around the corner basically. We dropped our stuff off and decided we were starving so we set out to find a proper Greek lunch.

We came across a cute little outdoor restaurant (most of the places are outdoor types, actually) and sat down. The server came over and was so nice. He suggested I try the moussaka and Dave had a gyro. We both had a Mythos beer (mmmm) and watched the Greek construction workers across the street install pipes into the road.

After lunch we were exhausted so we figured we'd go back to the hostel to have a nap before our meeting at 7pm. I set my alarm for 6:30 and we both passed out completely. A little while passed and I woke up and looked at my alarm. It said 7:12pm!! We panicked and ran out of our room and back to the other hotel. Thankfully we weren't the only late ones and we hadn't missed much. The meeting was basically going over how the ship worked as well as the next morning's procedures.

After the meeting we went out for our "traditional Plaka dinner" with the group. Dinner was served outdoors again, at this awesome little place. The staff brought us all kinds of treats like spanakopita (spinach and feta pastry bundles), greek sausage, fava beans (I think?), amoungst other things. We also had chicken or pork souvlaki for dinner as well as ice cream for dessert. And lots and lots of Greek wine. One of the guys in our group was greek and thus he was able to convince the people to bring us a few more bottles.

Once dinner was done there was the option to go out to the club with the group, but we opted out of that and just went home to bed. We ended up not sleeping right away, but instead watching the silliest movie on TV (Stuck on you with Matt Damon and ... someone)

Up early the next morning to board the boat.... but thats another post!

24 Hours in London

** Apologies to anyone who reads my facebook notes... this is the same**

Last week Dave and I set out for our Greece trip, via London. We had plans to visit our friend Sonya while we had 24 hours in London between flights...

July 4/5

Dave and his parents picked me up at work to take us to the airport. After they dropped us off we checked our stuff in and went to kill time before boarding. Ate some food and then waited at the gate.

The flight was on time, which was nice. Boarded around 4:30pm. The flight itself wasn't very eventful, though I attempted to sleep but it didn't happen. We arrived in London early, at about 4:30am. (or 11:30 home time) and then proceeded to gather our luggage, go through customs and all that fun stuff. We were getting weary but we still had to make it to Sonya's house. We figured out the train situation and finally got moving just after 6am.

By the time we got to Sonya's house it was almost 9am. (4am home time!). Sonya was ready for us! She had organized a grand tour of the city, first by car and after by foot. Dave and I had showers and then we piled into Julian's car. It was Dave's first time on the other side of the road, and with the craziness that is driving in London I can't say for sure how he found the experience!!

After driving around til about 11am, we came back to the house and then headed out the door again, this time on foot. We took the subway downtown, and got some food to eat at this cute little pub, who's name I have since forgotten.

Full of beer and pies, we started our walking tour of the city. Sonya had gone to immense efforts and planned our trip complete with information about all kinds of things. We saw all the usual London things: Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral, Tate Modern, Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, the London Eye, Oxford St, the British Museum, amoungst so many other things. If the pedometer on my phone is at all accurate, we walked about 20km. I'm sure it's closer to 15, but on no sleep, thats pretty commendable!!

After our touring about, we went for a proper Indian dinner, where Julian bargained with the guy to get a better deal on dinner. That whole thing was so odd! I've never experienced such a thing before.

We finally made it back to Sonya's around 9pm (4pm home time!), got ready to leave again at about 3:30. We found the energy to blow up our air mattress and were asleep in moments.
We got up around 3:30, got back into the car, and Julian drove us to the train station where we could take the train to Gatwick and get on the plane to go to Athens.

Pictures of London :: http://picasaweb.google.ca/alanna.foell/24HoursInLondon

Update on the Hospital

My mom's been in the hospital for a while now, not quite a week.. Since her surgery on Thurs night her spirts have improved by leaps and bounds. I kept telling her to tell the nurses "The morphine the better!" but apparently they weren't buying it.

 

Can you believe that you can break your femur, have them insert a titanium tube down the length of the whole bone and be up and walking the next day? Thats excactly whats happened with my mom. She's been "fixed" up since Friday and she's already doing laps around the whole wing. Insane.

 

They were thinking she should be ready to come home today, but she told them she'd rather stay til Wed. I don't blame her. It's got to be impossible to properly rest when you've got how many other people in the room, along wtih all the normal noises of the hospital.

 

I went to visit her for lunch today. She sent me home with more food then I came in with. She's been hoarding puddings from the leftover trays and giving me them to take home. She also gave me a carton of milk, some cheese and some cherries she had in the fridge. On top of that she found me a plum (in a medicine cup!) on the rack of leftover food and some other stuff. She's one in million, I tell ya.

 

She's been entertaining herself with all the other people in the room. She had a woman she was convinced is trying to scam the insurance people, and made friends with another lady (they exchanged phone numbers when the other lady was discharged)...leave it to my mom to be the nosey one at the hospital. It's probably good that we live in the country so that she can't be spying on all the neighbours!!

 

I think she'll be heading home Wed, which hopefully will give me enough time to whip the house into shape before she gets home. I've let the cleaning fall by the wayside, figuring I'd rather do one massive clean up instead of constantly trying to keep myself up on it all.

 

It's been a learning experiment for my dad too, being "on his own"... haha. The man is hopeless!! I came home the other night to find him making pasta sauce with an egg flipper. He's been subsisting on leftovers from the fridge, who knows how long they have been there. He has been good, however, at doing things when I ask him. He even switched the dryers in our basement (for whatever reason we still had my grandma's dryer sitting and not hooked up, even though it is YEARS more advanced than the one we have) and he's been good about getting the dishes in the dishwasher etc. He even hasn't been drinking as much as normal, I guess because he has to be the "responsible" one. It's crazy.

--
alanna foell : professional photographer : www.afphotography.cjb.net

The Value Of Family

I'm one of the lucky people out there. I'm one of those people who have a family that sticks together and is there when you need them. I know that not many people have this luxury, and believe me  I don't take it for granted.

 

The other morning my mom fell and broke her femur. Within hours of her being admitted to the hospital my aunt and uncle were on the phone with me telling me everything I needed to know and what questions to ask the doctors etc. Both of them work in the healt care field and know what needs to be done. My aunt was heading to the east coast and apologized profusely for not being able to come up right away to help get things taken care of. My uncle told me to call any time of day with questions and concerns.

 

I can't imagine being one of those people who don't have family to rely on. In our family, it's just understood that your family is there for you. I'm best friends with my cousins, they are like sisters to me. When my grandma passed away, we congregated in her hospital room. And now, when I need them, they are there for me.

It's a nice feeling.

--
alanna foell : professional photographer : www.afphotography.cjb.net

All Better - For the most part Or, "How not to lose your finger nail to a fire breathing dragon"

Just to warn you, this post has a pretty gross picture at the bottom !!




So, as a follow up to my last post, I went for my actual LEEP procedure, which left much to be desired. I'm not going to go into details. Suffice it to say, I went in, the whole thing went just like I expected and now I am not allowed to do anything fun (like sex or having baths/sitting in hot tubs) for a month. A MONTH. BAH!! Aside from a follow up appointment in 6 weeks, I should be fine. Lets just hope.



But this post is not about that.This post is about what happend to me AFTER my surgery yesterday.


After the surgery I went shopping and did really well... 7 shirts, 2 hoodies, a hat and some pants for under $75. Not bad at all.


I got home and since it was so nice outside, figured I would take Dragon outside on a "leash" (aka string) and let him enjoy the nice outsideness and eat some leaves and stuff like that. All good intentions. So much for that idea. The minute we got outside he took off like a bandit, running like those frilled lizards do, up on his hind legs and trying to get away as quick as possible. Obviously he couldn't get away, and when he realized this he was MAD. He puffed himself up, opened his mouth and tried to look scary. But I wasn't really scared.







I kinda led him around the yard, which was pretty easy. I took him over to some dandelions and attempted to feed him one. Little did I know this would backfired immensely. He snapped at my finger and I pulled back... I thought he'd just nipped me, but when I looked at my finger he'd snapped my finger nail in half, about half way down my fingernail. I kinda looked at it in disbelief, trying to figure out what to do. I couldn't very well pick him up, for the risk of losing more fingers was NOT what I had in mind. I yelled at my dad to bring me a tissue and kinda just stood there dazed.


I managed to get him back into his tank by means of a cardboard box. I closed the tank, told him he was a jerk and went downstairs to see what I could do interms of bandaging my finger up and what kinda damage I'd endured.


After wrapping it up in layers of gauze and tape, I felt confident to continue my life..... my finger was throbbing with pain, and still is, but at least it's stopped bleeding. I'm not entirely sure what to do about it, as I don't really want to pull the top part of my nail off, and have exposed finger tip, but it's going to eventually grow up and come off anyway. I'm debating gluing a fake nail on the end and holding it together that way.


I don't blame dragon, he was only doing what he should - defending himself. He's not a cat or dog, so it's not like i can discipline him for attacking me. This was just me trying to be nice and getting shit for it. Surprise surprise. Haha.

For the girls... Or, why I hate going to the doctor.

This post may make guys queasy, so guys, consider yourself warned....

 

A while back I was told that I was one of those lucky females who has a dreaded "abnormal pap". Most guys really don't know what this is about, as they know that girls have to go to the doctor yearly but dare not ask about the inner (*snicker*) workings of speculums and stirrups.

 

Now, for the record, that yearly checkup is never fun, but it's generally not something that is to be worried about. Short of a bit of discomfort it's usually a quick procedure that ends with "If there is any problems, we'll give you a call. If you don't hear from us, come back next year."

 

Unless you're me. See, about 14 months ago it was "Hey, something was a bit strange with this test. Come back in 6 months." Then I forgot. Oops. Then, about 8 months after that I was like "oh ya! I was supposed to go back. I should do that."  So I went back and they said "okay, last time was probably nothing, so if you don't hear from us, you don't have to worry."

 

And then they called me. They said "This is normal, so we'll send you to a guy who specializes in these things...." and sent me to a different doctor after explaining to me with binocular motions how he would look inside me with a magnifying glass. The whole thing was called a colposcopy, which is a word I can write but not say. I looked it up online and they outlined the whole thing. I'll save everyone the details and put a link HERE for anyone that is interested.

 

I went to see him. The first time I went I was prepare for them to just like, do their test, and if there was a problem fix it right away. This is what the internet led me to believe. Apparently this isn't how medical services provided by the gov't operate.

 

The first time I went he basically just said "This is usually nothing. We'll check it out and see whats up.If I don't see anything you can be on your way." However, of course that wasn't the case. Instead, doctor man (who's name I have since forgotten) found what he didn't think he would and then decided to take a sample to determine exactly what was up. The whole thing only took a short while, but left me wondering "Now what!?"

 

I went back around a week later and was told I had "high risk dysplasia of the cervix" which is a fancy way of saying you have cells that could potentially turn into cervical cancer.

 

Where the hell was Gardasil when I was a kid?!!

 

After giving me the low down doctor man told me that I would have to go to a DIFFERENT doctor for a LEEP. Again, I looked this up online and it sounds FUN. Oh what fun. Amoungst other things, I'm not allowed to have BATHS! I love baths.

 

Which bring me to recently. I was told my appointment with the new doctor would be today. Silly me, I assumed they would do everything today. Yeah. Right. I tried to call the office a week or so ago and was told no one would be in the office until the 25th. If you were in labour or had a gynecological emergency you were to call some other number. *rolls eyes* I finally go a hold of the people yesterday and asked them "hey, do I need to do anything to prepare for this?" and they are like "nope, just bring yourself in... " Which should have been my first clue.

 

So I went on thinking that all this would be over and done with today. .. my mom took the day off work to go with me. I told work that I might not be able to come in for the evening shift. I scheduled my tattoo appointment with the idea that "Hey, if I can't have baths anyway, I might as well make it worth my while and get a tattoo at the same time".

 

I found the office and went in... and the waiting room was full of women. Old, young, you name it. The ladies manning (Ladying?) the reception desk were like, 80. Not even kidding. I think the one finished nursing school in 1935 and was still wearing the same starched nurses cap. I gave her my healt car and all that and she says to me "We have a problem. The doctor isn't here today." WHAT THE FUCK!???

 

Let me refresh your memory that this started 14 months ago. I've been at the doctor's 5 times since like, Nov. I've sat bare-assed on a paper sheet more times than I need remember.

 

She asked me if Thurs would work, but thats the day of my tattoo appointment, so nope, that wouldn't be any good. So next tues it is. Again I asked, is there anything I need to do? and she's like "Nope, he's just gonna talk to you, he's not going to be doing anything this time".

 

For eff's sakes. I'm so annoyed. You'd think that my health would be of more interest to these people. But I can't really do much about it. I have to go in for another consultation, have them tell me all about the things they are going to do to me the NEXT time I come in.

 

So as it stands, I have no idea when I'll finally get to experience the joy that is a "LEEP" and all it's fantastic side effects. Only thing I AM happy about is that I can continue going about having my baths and all the other fun things I'm forbidden to do...

 

And to any boys that made it all the way though, good for you.

 

 

 

 

--
alanna foell : professional photographer : www.afphotography.cjb.net

Fun Times Had By All

I'm back at work after a weekend away... and it was so refreshing (mind you, I do feel extra exhausted now)

 

Like all of my trips to eastern ontario, it was a whirlwind of activity, starting thursday night and ending last night when I finally made it home.

 

I borrowed my brother's GPS which gave Dave and I much amusement for the long drive... those things are smarter than people, I'm convinced. We named it Jacques, for Jacques Cartier, explorer of Canada and/or Jacques Cousteau, sea explorer. Nevermind the fact that the GPS talks with a female voice... I guess she can be Jacqueline if we're being politically correct.

 

- Thurs -

Left work at 5, despite wanting to be out the door at 4:45. Instead of getting gas like I should (was on E since the day before) I drove all the way to the Kitchener bus terminal to pick up Dave. After he jumped in the car we stopped for gas ($70 to fill my tank. I thought I was going to cry) and then were officially on the way. We stopped at the first rest stop and ate the sandwiches my mom had made the night before and got some beverages (McDonald's iced coffee is weird.) On the road again. Didn't hit too much traffic going through Toronto, and stopped again for coffee on the far side of Toronto. Made it to Ottawa by 11pm, which wasn't too bad at all. Went to bed not long after getting there...and we had a busy day planned on Friday.

 

- Friday -
Got up around 8am and played with Wylie for a bit before he went to preschool. After Meg got back from dropping him off we went to Cora's for breakfast (mmm. I had an omelette. It was great) and then we went to Canadian Tire, which was one of the stops I had planned to make on the way up on Friday. My brake light kept coming on. After that we went to Shoppers Drug Mart to get me a toothbrush, cuz super smart me didnt' bring one along. Then to the LCBO to get Meg's gift from my mom and dad. Thought we'd have time to do some shoe shopping, but that wasn't the case. Met little Meghan at the hospital where she works and then went downtown Ottawa for some Starbucks. Sat in the park, drank our drinks and chatted for a bit. Met SC at Henry's afterwards and we went for food at this cute little Mexican restaurant owned by the guy who owned the last Mexi place we'd frequent. Had some fajitas, which were quite tasty... mind you, I think most fajitas are. After that it was off to the Experimental Farm to meet Meg and Wylie. The plan was to check out the cute little animals and take some pictures. It was more like "follow around the cute little toddler and snap pictures like he's famous".  After all that we went back to Meg's place to order some pizza for dinner. We played with Wylie, and watched Monsters Inc. Wylie wanted Toy Story or Cars, but after March break when he was at my house, I didn't think I could watch much more of either. Went to bed relatively early again. Hanging out with little kids makes me tired.

 

- Sat -

Got up early again and got ourselves ready to head out to Montreal. Ate some breakfast, and were out the door around 10. Went to Shoppers again (forgot to get Meg's card!) and then to Aunt B and Uncle P's. We all met there and then got on the road. Drove to Hudson QC and stopped at a little rest stop to get some food and change drivers and stuff. Not long after we were back on the road the traffic came to an almost stand-still. We moved all of 2.5 km in an hour. When we finally made it to the spot that was causing problems, we found out that the police had closed off a lane and appeared to be re-creating an accident. After that though, it was smooth sailing to the hotel. We had to for-go the BioDome due to lack of time, which was sad... I really wanted to go to the BioDome... but it was nice to finally be out of the car. The hotel was really nice, and in a good location. We were about 2 blocks from Old Montreal, and one block from Ste Catherine street, shopping street!!!! We all conveened in one room and had some drinks before heading out and looking around old Montreal. I took a million pictures. I'll post them up as soon as I have fast internet again. We ate some dinner and then did some more walking around. Ended up walking down the sketchy end of St. Catherine past all the sex shops and stuff before heading back to the hotel and relaxing with some more beers and going to bed.

 

- Sun -

Met in Aunt B/Uncle P's room for champagne and orange juice in honour of Meg's champagne birthday (27 on the 27th). Went downstairs after to take part in the free breakfast offered and then out the door again. We back down to old montreal and went to the Science Centre and wandered around for a while. Walked past a movie set, though brilliant me didnt' realize! Chris said he caught a glimpse of Mira Sorvino... Hmm. Wylie thoroughly enjoyed the centre, running around and checking out all the hands on stuff. After we left there we went up to the trendy shop side of St. Catherine st and then went for lunch at Nickels. It was about 4pm by the time all that was done, so Dave and I headed back to the hotel and headed home. It was 11 by the time we got home and man I was tired.

 

Like I said, I'll have pictures up later this week. I just need to pack my computer with me and do it when I have access to fast internet.

 

I need a nap!
--
alanna foell : professional photographer : www.afphotography.cjb.net

Freedom!

It's been a while since I've been anywhere exciting. Last place I went was Ottawa in Jan, and while a trip to Ottawa is always great, it doesn't really register high on the excitement scale.

 

This weekend however, I am escaping the boring life which is living in the 'Loo and going to Montreal for my cousin's birthday. It's been about 3 years since I was last in Montreal, and the last time was on route home from our road trip to Quebec. This trip isn't a long one, only going to be there on Sat/Sunday, but it's enough to get me excited.

 

The plan is to get in the car after working til 5, pick up Dave at the bus station (no driving to London first this time. That was silly last time) and going to my cousin's place in Ottawa. We'll be in Ottawa tomorrow (friday) and Sat morning we'll head to Montreal. I believe we're stopping at the BioDome in Montreal (I love zoos) and then not really sure. Probably a night out on the town. Sunday I'm not sure what time we'll be heading home, but I would like to try to be back by 9pm if possible, which should have us leaving around 3pm. If I can swing it, I wanna do a bit of shopping. Though I don't really wanna be that girl who drags her bf all around shopping.

 

This weekend will mark a few things - 4 years since Dave and I first started dating and consequently 6 months since we got back together after our year and a half apart. Also, I'll actually eat some kinda dessert, as I think a birthday/anniversary deserves something sweet and forbidden. After my first dessert fast from Jan until my birthday, I decided to do a second one with the exception birthdays. I've done pretty well. I find it's so much easier to not eat things I shouldn't when they are completely off limits as opposed to just trying to say no...I'm an all or nothing kinda girl.

 

Pictures to follow!!

A

 

--
alanna foell : professional photographer : www.afphotography.cjb.net

The Trips Are Booked, I'm Ready To Go....

I feel very accomplished today... I booked my flights to Greece for me and Dave. Whooo!!

I enjoy my job for reasons like this... I can get good deals on things like flights and tours...

July is going to be an extremely busy yet exciting month for me... hear me out:

July 4- Leave for London

July 5- Hang out in London with Sonya and her bf, get a whirlwind tour and see as much as possible in 24 hours.

July 6 - back on a plane to Athens, Greece.

July 7-11 - Contiki Cruise around the greek islands, stopping in Turkey
July 12 - fly back to Ontario...

July 13 - rest.

July 14-22 work (potentially)

July 23 - Fly to Dublin with my cousin Meg

July 24 - arrive Dublin, meet up with cousin Camille

July 25 - Join Paddywagon tour for south of Ireland

July 28 - back to Dublin. Find Janet (friend from australia)

July 29 - rent car, drive to belfast/northern area.

July 30- back to dublin. See Dublin. Drink beer.

Aug 1st - Fly back to Toronto.

Aug 2nd - Family party. Recover from jet lag.

I can't wait. It's been so long since I've been across the ocean. Mind you, I've flown just as far across my own country, but it's just not the same. I can't wait for the adventure. The thrill of a new place... the many many pictures that need to be taken.

Best part is? I only use 1 week vacation for the whole thing. man, I love my job. haha.

- Redecorating and Reorganizing -

I've recently undergone a surge of "lets get things organized!"

 

I decided that I needed a new dresser for my closet and that my closet overall needed to be redone. I measured everything and then scoured over ikea's website designing and planning for a new closet organizer system. It's hard, with my closet, as it's got a sloped ceiling and it is about 7 feet wide but only 110cm tall at it's lowest point. Pre-designed closet organizers have never worked due to it's silly dimensions.

 

I went to ikea, bought all that I needed to and then took it home and built it. The dresser was easy. The organizer part, not so much. The whole thing consisted of a table top, with a wire rack and a shelf below and a long shelf above the table top.

 

It all went down hill when I realized I didn't have a level and both the floor and the ceiling are crooked. Also the wall is old plaster and board (the joys of a 123 year old house) and thus it's hard to square anything up.

My shelf is a bit slanted. The rest, thank god, I managed to get straight. I dont' even really care about the shelf because it's my closet. And to fix it would be just WAY too much work.

 

My dresser is now also very organized. I bought these little insert things and now I have everything sorted into things like Undies I wear, Undies I don't wear, bras, bra accessories (there is such a thing), socks, socks that are still brand new, nylons, tank tops etc.

 

And if that wasn't enough, on Sunday I decided it was about time my mom and I finished the hallway repapering we'd started more than a year ago. I got Dave to help me peel all the old stuff off on Sunday and yesterday my mom and I put all the new stuff back up. It feels so much better to have everything done. My dad laughed at me, saying "so you've redone your closet and you've redone the hallway.... does that mean you're staying for a while?"

--
alanna foell : professional photographer : www.afphotography.cjb.net