We were very ready for vacation. Can you say burnout? It has been a nutty year of health issues, work changes, and trying to hold on to our goals. So by the time October 25th rolled around, we were psyched!

I should mention the teeny tiny itsy bitsy moment of clumsiness that I had, as it had threatened to derail our plans. For those who know me, I am generally the image of poise and grace, so try not to be too shocked. :) On Tuesday I was taking a shower and getting ready for work. You would think this to be a safe pursuit; and you would be wrong. My foot slipped, I fell flailing out of the bathtub, hitting the previously injured small of my back on the side of the tub and smashing my head against the cupboard doors under the sink. How hard did I hit my head, you may ask? Hard enough to break the doors entirely off of their hinges, is my reply. My mother used to call me 'tête de plâtre' (roughly translated as 'cement head') when I was a kid. Apparently she was right.

I would have included photos of my bruising, but no one needs to see the top of my butt. That would be a whole other  kind of blog.

Anyhoo, the fear was that I wouldn't be able to handle sitting in a car as much as we were planning. The first day of vacation we had made plans to drive home, to Moncton,  to see my family, returning the same day. Roughly 3 hours each way. We had so many plans for our time with a rental car and I was terrified this would ruin everything.

But it didn't! We made it home and had an amazing dinner with 3 of my sisters - Debbie, Donna and Darlene - Debbie's awesome husband, Dave, and my parents. And what an anomaly this restaurant was! A vegetarian restaurant that is s good that tons of carnivores eat there and there is a wait for a table  almost every night. Crazy! I wish it was here. Now, we were there for our own vegan benefit, though everyone enjoyed their meal. Funniest moment? When my family were having an extended convo about the best places to buy untainted and delicious meat in the city. I leaned to Melina and said, "I'll bet ours is the only table here having this discussion." Haha! I love my family a lot.
Another brief word only mentioned as it leads into the next post. On the way to Moncton we drove quickly through a town that I had wanted Melina to see. As readers of this blog, you will know that our end goal is a house in the country supporting ourselves. *sigh* A dream. Sackville has some appeal as a town as it is only 45 minutes outside of Moncton, has a small University and some Fine Arts outlets. Driving through, Melina was a smitten kitten. Gorgeous houses, lovely trees. A wonderful energy. Will we move there? More later.
We drove home from Moncton that night thrilled to have seen everyone. I want to be able to do that more often. It is one of the huge reasons that we are so excited to get a car in the new year. I love my mom and dad, and my sisters. Debbie and Dave were like a second set of parents to me when I was growing up, and I love to see them.

It was a great beginning to our vacation! And my back was doing fine. OK, maybe a little owie. ;)

~ Denise

It's been awhile since we have updated on our lives. It's weird how when you are working towards a goal, things can be fluctuate. Sometimes the vision is so clear, other times it muddy at best. We are definitely in a clear phase. Crystal. Like we can see the light at the end of the tunnel and are running to get there. A lot of custom orders, especially for Melina. I invite people to bring on more. I want to see how much sewing she can do before her head explodes! She made a custom book cover, a bunch of cutlery rolls for a picnic basket, and is currently making a million pennant flags for a friend's wedding. I have come up with a few new designs and was called upon for a custom slave anklet. So lots of work which is always FUN! When it comes to actual fun, the kind that does not involve sewing machines and jump rings, we have definitely been a scoach dull. A few highlights include: 1) thanks once again to my amazing sister, Debbie, we got to see Cirque du Soleil again! It was beautiful and amazing awe inspiring. Literally took my breath away.

2) how great was The Avengers? Honestly, Joss Whedon is a god. For those who don't know, I dream of being a full-time writer, and he is one of my writing idols. Seriously, when was the last time you saw a superhero movie the highlight of which was the dialogue? GENIUS! (The following is a gratuitous photo of Chris Hemsworth, another great thing about the film. Just ... wow. Lovely.) 3)5 words - ALL YOU CAN EAT SUSHI! We have discovered the most wonderful thing in the world. Can you imagine anything better? Not only is it all you can eat, but it is really really good. We have been twice. The second time I think I ate more than I have ever eaten in one sitting. Felt so sick and it was AWESOME. :) Avocado and tempura sweet potato rolls. YUM! I guess we have squeezed in a little fun. We'll keep the updates coming on a more regular basis. And we will also be making fun a goal. ~ Denise