Love Story - Part 4

(Firstly, I didn't intend to drag this little story out so long.... sorry!)

The sun rose early Saturday morning and I was up and dressed and down at the door when my drive arrived... I was feeling very sleep and desperately wanted my Tim's. There certainly wasn't a convenient Tim Horton's to drive-thru, so we hit the road without. You can tell the driver wasn't a coffee drinker... those of us who are would drive WAY out of the way if necessary to get our fix. ;)  Anyway, it's good I didn't have anything to drink, cause then I didn't have to request a "rest" stop... that would have been embarrassing.

It was an easy drive up. Conversation wasn't forced... there was actually a lot of silence, but it was a comfortable silence. Not a "racking-your-brain-for-something-to-say" silence.

We got to the cottage just as people were getting ready to start their day. In time for breakfast and... coffee. :) In addition to the two of us arriving, there were 4 couples already there plus 7 kids... Yes, a full house.  Everyone else was pretty much family, so it was a relaxed atmosphere. For them. I was feeling a little awkward because I could only imagine what was going through their minds with my tall friend and I driving up together. Rather easy to "pair off".... and I still was leaning toward the feeling that he was just comfortable having a friend who was a girl.

It was a great sunny day at the lake... they had a boat so there was some water-skiing and tubing (I don't tube though)... we spent a fair amount of time in the water swimming out to a floating deck and back to shore. It was a fun day.

It was all going smoothly... at one point my new tall friend was relaxing in a tube sitting tied to the dock.... the kids were playing all around... I was teasing him about his comfy seat, and he invited me in. To say no would have felt awkward... and besides, the seat did look inviting... so in I got. Someone, and I don't remember who, managed to snap a picture. I'm sure it didn't feed into any rumours... right....

The afternoon was progressing nicely until I decided to show off and take a shallow dive (I had already done it a few times when no one was paying attention) off the end of the dock when my new tall friend and his friend were standing there.... it didn't end so well.

Not a big mark... but enough to get laughed at and to feel 100% like a fool. I was spitting sand for quite awhile...

And that wasn't the only embarrassing moment of the day. There were actually quite a few.

I was in a room getting changed behind the door when suddenly the door opens. In the process of "yelling" nooooooo and falling against the door to shut it, I happened to notice it wasn't just some kid... or another woman... but yes... my new tall friend. I still don't know what really happened, only that I about died in there. How could I walk out????  I had to eventually, and there he was saying "I'm so so so sorry..."  To this day he barely remembers this incident and says he barely saw part of my head let alone anything else... I believe him, but still.... mortifying!

Another incident of the day was at meal time... now remember, I had been hanging out with my NJ friend, her husband and my new tall friend quite a bit over the last month and a bit. They had seen my ample appetite. I ate a lot. Almost always had seconds. So for my plate to look like someone's who was near death with little ability to swallow was a little obvious. My new tall friend noticed. How could he not when he watched me take about 7 bites the night before... I just kind of shrugged it off... he didn't press the point. Thankfully.

And the final very awkward moment... the arrangements for the drive home. My NJ friend and her husband were there with a car, and my new tall friend was there with his car... and the husband of one of the other couples was also heading back and hitching a ride. He decided he was going with my NJ friend and her husband. WHAT?  My mind is racing... my new tall friend says little. I demand a pow-wow with my NJ friend... "Please help... this is ridiculous. We're not a couple, and why are they matching us up?? It only makes sense that I go home with you and his friend go home with him!!" Somehow, in a way that was only slightly awkward (right), we rearranged the travel partners ... but then I was panicking (I did that a lot) that maybe my new tall friend would think I didn't WANT to be with him, and that I was totally brushing him off... hmmm... dilemma. How to let him know I enjoyed spending Friday evening and the drive up with him without sounding forward??

Also, there was a time in my past when someone called me an ice-queen and that haunted me for ages... I could work so hard at not letting my true feelings show that I could come across as indifferent and uncaring apparently. I was terrified I would do that this time and miss something wonderful.

So... I gathered enough courage to get close to my new tall friend alone before he drove off and thanked him for the drive up... and for Friday night. I said I had a good time.  (Enter heart pounding) He smiled and said he did too.

All in all though, it was a most wonderful day. I was even able to see how good my new tall friend (and growing more handsome by the day, I might add) was with little kids. That always melts my heart. :)

I also found another email from my dad dated July 29, 2006... the day we had our cottage adventure. I guess I had shared my nervous anticipation with him beforehand... He writes:

"How were things today? I am sure you are physically and emotionally exhausted. Quite a stressful weekend!! On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being a disaster and 10 being, it couldn’t get much better, how would you rank the experience? Like….was it a nice cottage? Was the water warm? Did the sun shine? Did you guys run out of gas? Did you have to hitch-hike? Did you have to wait long for a ride? Did you forget sunscreen lotion? Did you get a splinter in your toe? Did someone walk on your glasses and smash them? Did your appetite come back? As you can see, we have lots of questions!!"  Funny. :)

Love Story - Part 3

Where was I? Oh yes... anticipating the almost three hour drive North to Cottage country with this new tall friend of mine... alone.

Before I continue, I found an email from my dad dated July 11, 2006... He writes "How is everything else going? I noticed in one of your emails multiple references to D Howard’s grandson. Should I read anything into that? Are you wondering?"  Apparently I was a little transparent with my family. :)

Cottages mean water... which means swimming... which means bathing suits. AAHH! I remember that on the Thursday after work I took the subway to a mall to look at bathing suits. I can't remember if I was successful or not (there's a very rare success rate). But I do remember one very important phone call I received.  HE was calling to arrange the weekend details... it was the first time I talked to him on the phone. If you know me, you know I hate talking on the phone, so you can only imagine how nervous I was. The reception was bad, so I quickly put down whatever I was looking at and ran outside so I could hear his voice.

He asked if I had any plans Friday evening, and umm... no I didn't. My mind was racing... why did he care about my Friday night? Great... he wanted to do something since we were both free... Was I excited? Of course! Terrified? Absolutely. He thought we could go to the driving range. Ha! This should be an experience! So... we made pick-up plans for the next evening and I was left alone with my thoughts. Oh my. I was giddy. It's awful to be giddy ALONE. You really look quite insane. I think my face was cracking from the permanent grin of delight. My stomach was revolting though - hordes butterflies performing all kinds of gymnastic stunts!

I couldn't have worked with a better group of people at that time in my life... they were the coolest ladies. I really loved them. Even my boss - the only guy in our little office - picked up on details and would offer a dry comment here and there. :) I couldn't say a peep to any of my friends about what was going on, but... my co-workers were safe. And they were loving this fresh beginning of what they had already determined a romance! I'm so thankful I could let out some of my excitement and nervousness around them.

So as you can imagine, my Friday wasn't all that productive at work... I finally wrapped up and got on the bus and then the subway to meet this new tall friend for a whole new experience. Oh, and the whole time I was praying I wouldn't have to eat in front of him... because I knew I ... couldn't.

I'm pacing outside the shopping mall watching for a silver Honda Civic...then I realized I didn't look "cool and collected"... so I stop pacing and find a wall to lean against. Now do I look like I'm not overly anxious?? (Not likely.)

Oh, here he comes... We both grin. I get in and we start chatting... so far so good. We've spent time chatting before, so this I could handle. He asks if I'm hungry. Nope! The decision was made to go straight to the driving range... it was really quite laughable - I'm just under 5'2" and he is 6'4"(I think)... we used his clubs. That's why my swing was horrible and the ball always went wonky. At least that's the story I'm sticking with!

We had a good hour there with quite a few laughs... then headed back to the car and sit on the bumper for a few minutes. I'm panicking - "Please let us not go out to eat.. PLEASE!" That was my inside voice... he decides it's time for supper. We go to Milestone's where there was nothing under 11.99... (Sadly, I've become a little spoiled since, and 11.99 doesn't faze me anymore...) My stomach is totally flip-flopping... there's no way I'm going to be able to eat, but I have to order something!  I go for the cheapest sandwich and salad thing I can find and pray I can eat. We talk... we haven't had a problem doing that... suddenly the Manager is at our table apologizing profusely for the delay in our food arriving...  ummm... delay? We hadn't noticed.  The food arrived, and I got half my salad down and about 3 bites of my sandwich....  and that. is. it. I was so embarrassed, but my dinner date (no - we weren't on a date) didn't make much of it. Thankfully.

From there he drove me home and dropped me off... letting me know the very early pick-up time the next morning for our trip north to Cottage country.  I don't remember dreaming that night, but I'm positive they were sweet dreams....  it had been a wonderful evening, minus the fact I was supposed to actually EAT supper...

Love Story - Part 2

So... Was I "just a friend" in his eyes? Did he have a girl back home? (If he did - he certainly didn't mention her EVER!)

These were thoughts I kept pushing to the back of my mind because I was working on convincing myself that HE was just a friend. I mean - we just met! We barely knew each other. And..., I had just arrived at a place in my life where I was at peace knowing I was where God wanted me to be. I was single because that was His plan for me "right now". And, I was enjoying my new studies... I wasn't searching for a man "right now".

Two of my close friends were marrying each other back East, and I had a flight booked to make a swift trip back for their wedding and one day at Pugwash conference on the July long weekend.  I was so excited to be going home!! Plus, everyone was clearing out of the city for the weekend - my NJ friend was going away. My new tall friend was in Boston for a course. The family I was boarding with were away for vacation.

I took a bus out to the airport from Sunnybrook (where I was working) to catch my flight on Friday... only to find out that my flight was delayed. An hour later, delayed again. An hour later, delayed again. I can't remember how many times this happened, except it felt like I was in the airport forever. So I read a book - This Can't be Happening at MacDonald Hall... a Gordon Korman book for early teens... I think I found it at a yardsale and wanted to re-read... it was still funny!

Then I took out my notebook and wrote. I had a habit back then of writing letters to people that I never intended to send, thus making them very honest letters. This one was to my new tall friend. In blue (I don't like black pens) I wrote out my thoughts, feelings and questions... realizing the knowledge that I wasn't going to see him for a few days made me miss him... which made me realize that he was starting to mean more to me than just a "guy friend"... yikes!! Terrifying, because I was so done with having my heart hurt. I wasn't going to be the stupid one to let it happen again.

Still waiting for my flight...


To my dismay, the multiple delays ended in a cancellation. Meaning... I would miss the wedding. The next available flight would have left me with about 3 hours with my family before having to fly back. I tried desperately to find another way. No luck. Devastated much? Wow. I can't describe the emotional disappointment it was. I made a fool of myself in the airport. I cried and cried. One kind lady offered comfort saying that I could join her and her kids in a hotel room and fly out the next day... but I sobbed... "That won't work - the wedding will be over." How embarrassing.

I cried myself out of the airport (it's at least 11pm now), assuring a concerned security guard I REALLY was fine, and flagged down a cab. It would have taken every last student $ I made to take the cab all the way 'home', so I took it to Finch subway station. And from there took a bus up North.... and yes, crying all the way. Somehow I finally made it 'home' and fell into my bed crying. Slept. Woke up to a quiet house and decided to rest out in the sunshine listening to music... and... cried. I only share this because I have no recollection of another time when I cried so consistently!! It's funny (kind of) now... :)

Anyway, I'm wayyyy off topic, living through that horrendous disappointment. I must say, I have wonderfully thoughtful friends who sent pictures as soon as they walked in the door from the wedding... Thank you M&L. :)

Soooo... back to the story.  (There was a point in the above story... remember the letter??)

My friends came home from NJ and quickly got me going again... they were heading to a friends' place for a BBQ and I was invited along. We were up there sitting out on the deck enjoying the late afternoon air... when guess who walked around the corner of the house?! YES!! I thought he was still away... and here he was. My night just got better. :)  It got dark and some were in the hot tub, and some were sitting around a little fire... the two of us were sitting side-by-side back aways just chatting. I told him my sob-story of not getting home for the wedding, and he says... "You were here the whole weekend? I wish I had known... you could have used my car while I was gone."

He had a new Honda Civic, 5-speed stick shift. Spotless. And he was saying he would have let me use it????? That might not seem like a big deal to you, and I'm not sure that it was to him, but for me.... well.... it was a big deal to me. And my heart went mush.

It was also that night I thought he told me he was an engineer... but that's a whole other story. He's not. His degree is Business Admin...  To this day he still teases me about this!

A group of us spent the day at Canada's Wonderland one Saturday for the park and a Third Day concert... we had a fun crew, though there was an uneven number of us, which doesn't bode well for pairing up for rides. Somehow he and I spent most of the day as a pair... it was such a hot fun day. I was hyper (never a good thing in public...) and he seemed to be having fun teasing me. He's just the cutest when he's teasing with that smirk and laughing eyes. I was falling.....

Another Saturday the four of us made a truly out-of-character-group-decision to leave early and rollerblade the Don River Bike trail... I can't remember which of us suggested it first - I'm terrified to think it was me!! We started at Edwards Gardens near Sunnybrook... someone told us it was paved the whole way. W.R.O.N.G. It was frequently downhill and there was sand, rocks, paved path, stairs, bridges... you name it and it was part of this trail! It was about 14 kms long... none of us were athletes. Check this link if you are curious about what trail it was... http://www.ontariobikepaths.com/DonRiver.htm This link shows it from Toronto's Lakeshore and north, but we started near Sunnybrook and went south to Lakeshore. So much fun, but brutal!

We had lunch downtown, wandered around for a bit but we were too exhausted to do much... so we took the subway north. Except we miscalculated where to get off and we ended up over an hour's walk away from our car... except someone (not me) kept thinking we were "close" so we didn't get a cab... just kept walking... and moaning... and whining... and walking... and... finally made it! What a day! I doubt we'll ever repeat it, but it was a fun experience! Of course... it didn't matter to me what we did that summer - any time we were together was a great experience... haha

One July weekend the four of us were invited to their friends' cottage about 2.5 hours away. My NJ friend and her husband were going up early. My new tall friend was working until end of day Friday, as was I. I didn't really have any plans to go as I hardly knew these cottage friends at the time, and I certainly wasn't going to arrange any drives with this boy. I wasn't THAT forward. (yet) I think by now my NJ friend was hoping there might be a future match, so she was willing to play matchmaker - without our permission. After a few of her strong hints, my new tall friend offered me a drive up to the cottage Saturday morning. He got my number from my friend to arrange details later in the week.

I had days to anticipate this little trip. Days to be nauseous from nerves and excitement. It was about this time I lost my appetite.....

Love Story - Part 1

Have you ever read someone else's love story and as a result, fallen more in love with your own man?

Recently I lost myself in a blogger's love story... I must say she has a way of putting words that caused many an inward romantic sigh... but hearing her revisit her 11 year old romance with such detail and love made me look at my own little story in a fresh way - my heart longing to let out a little squeal... God truly showered me with love when He sent my tall man my way... He knew exactly what I needed and ... brought us together. I am SO thankful.

Our third anniversary is just around the corner - July 2. mmm :)

Who would have thought when I got fed up with my boring job and made the decision to go back to school for a new career (or A career), that God was busy working on exceeding all my expectations... looking back, the timing of so many things was such a God Plan.

What first year student gets to "jump into" 2nd year programming because of her "mature student" status, thus allowing her to complete a 4 month work term 9 months into a 4-year program? (Whoa - a lot of numbers in that sentence)  As I would find out the following year, my being "fast tracked" at the beginning made no sense whatsoever to any advisor I talked to... obviously it was just because God wanted it that way!

Why??

Well, at that time, this guy I had never met before was only in Toronto for an 18-month project, and had I taken the "expected" course load, I would have never ended up in Ontario during those 18-months. God's timing. And that's just the start of a million instances where God clearly showed His hand confirming that it was His timing... His story... His plan for us. I love it. :)

Toronto - the L.A.S.T place I wanted to spend any summer. Smoggy, humid, concrete jungle. In fact, I was quite depressed leaving Halifax the end of April. I was hoping for Vancouver or Calgary, but nope... Toronto. (Thankfully I had the best job ever at Sunnybrook... loved it!)

Interestingly, at a conference in May, I ran into a childhood friend from New Jersey who married a Canadian boy (a shock in itself! ;)).  They only lived 25 minutes across 'town' from where I was boarding, so we exchanged numbers, planning a dinner date at her house early June.

Guess who else was invited there for the first time?? Yup. You guessed it. As they would tell it, this wasn't a match-making experience. Yet.

From that night on, the four of us hung out almost every weekend and a few weeknights in between... I have never played so many games as I did those few weeks. My standard line was, "My friends back home would never believe I'm playing games...!" No, I'm not a games person at all. Sports - yes. Board games? No. I've hardly played any since that summer... At least I was honest about my out-of-character behaviour. My new tall friend however, not so honest.  The four of us played tennis, went roller-blading, played Frisbee, went for walks.... I was excited that this guy liked being active! Ha. The truth came out later... after the honeymoon. (And I still love him.)

I was enjoying this friendship... we were relaxed around each other and laughter came easily. We have very similar backgrounds, including the small fact that we are grandchildren of gospel preachers who (it's a small world!) were close friends! But... I knew very little about his personal life, with the key question being: Did he have a girl back home?  I've always been comfortable hanging out with my guy friends, and this guy was no different... and thankfully he wasn't terrified of hanging out with a friend who was a girl.  But as far as I could tell - that's all I was to him...

Loving the little things...

It's been a long S.L.O.W. week... I've already complained mentioned that a few days ago, so today I am going to point out a few things I enjoyed during the week.

1. We had our first Dairy Queen date of the season Wednesday night. Dating is a novelty.  We didn't date long between meeting for the first time and getting married! ;)

2. We had a really nice thunder & lightning storm Wednesday night/Thursday morning... and while it jolted me awake in the wee hours of the early morning, it's always a cool weather experience. When you're safe inside that is. And I was.

3. My man usually works down in the heart of Toronto... his new building is connected to Union Station, which plants him smack in the middle of all the G20 action and fences. Instead of fighting that craziness, he worked from home Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week... So because I'm a nice wife (who has the car), I drove across town on my lunch hour, picked us up something quick to eat (Quizno Sub, Burger King...you know - healthy substantial meals!) and had four minute dates at our kitchen table. Four minutes, because that's all the time I had before I had to turn around and drive back to work. But those four minutes were worth it! Except for Thursday, when I had my timing wrong, and he was still on a call during those four minutes... we managed to wave at each other.  Definitely worth it.

4. England won their game, so they're still in the World Cup... (but unfortunately, their next game is Sunday morning at 10am... guess we'll miss it!)

5. I bought three books on Amazon that will hopefully teach me how to use my new wonderful camera better. They arrived Wednesday. They're pretty. I love books. Any books. Even text books.... (to look at - not study)

I know there were many other little things to delight in, but I'll leave you with those very exciting five. (And yes, I apologise for wasting your time if you've read this!) :)

Happy Friday! Enjoy your weekend... I get to see my dad tomorrow morning... *happy dance*

This and That... Random post :)

Can you believe how fast June is flying by??

It's a little slow at work these days... at least for my position. The guys seem to be "running" non-stop, but the work is all at a high-level for now. I'm waiting for that work to trickle down... My busy time of month is  "board meeting week" and invoicing which is a good two weeks of solid work with the prep, processing and follow-up details. 3 weeks out of 4 isn't too bad...  I like being busy - I'm a much more diligent worker when there's a crunch on! No at-work blogging when I'm busy... ;)

My Dad is coming to the city!! Yay! Contrary to everyone's conclusions, he's not staying with us... :(   He's having meetings with the Langstaff assembly so will be staying with a family from there. But as Dad likes to give the family he's staying with a break from time-to-time, we are planning on getting him for a few weekends. It will be wonderful to see him. Also contrary to popular opinion, my mom isn't coming up... it just doesn't make sense if Dad is here to work and I'm at work all day... hopefully there will be a day in the future when I'm staying at home and it would make ALL the sense in the world for her to come up! :)

Remember that whole Project Flower Garden thing? Yah, well... nothing has been done since that post. My weeds are starting to grow again... yikes.

Our 3rd anniversary is almost here... we're pretty low-key about these things (birthdays, Valentine's Day, anniversaries...), but why does it always seem to be about the woman? For those of you who have been married for some time - any suggestions on making the day special for HIM? Any clues? Other than finally making him a pie for the first time ever. ;)

Fridays :)

I L.O.V.E. Fridays :)

Who doesn't? With the end of the work week in sight, everyone relaxes a bit. The weather forecast isn't even promising this weekend, but today is sunny! :)

The World Cup starts today! Before I moved to Toronto, I don't remember knowing that the "World Cup" existed... But enter spring/summer 2006 when I moved to this mega multi-cultural landscape for a school work term... I was baffled by all the cars driving around with flags... I soon realized that this is a B.I.G. deal to many people! It was hard not to get swept up in the excitement... :) (Who won?? I think it was Italy... but now I have to go google that... and YAY! I was right. :))

And, I just so happened (ha) to marry a boy who is completely indifferent to hockey but... Manchester United??? Those are his boys. And many of them are the key players for England at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. They play their first official match tomorrow afternoon against the USA. GO ENGLAND!!!! :) I think I'll be learning more about "football" in these coming weeks.... ;)

Our SS picnic is planned for tomorrow, so regardless of what the meteorologists say, we're hoping for a nice sunny warm day! I'll let you know how it goes...

I can *almost* guarantee you that we'll be home by 2:30pm for the start of the "big game".... ;)

ESL BBQ

We had such a beautiful day on Saturday. It was "Year-End" BBQ for our ESL classes, and while the forecast said rain - the Lord provided us with sunshine and warmth!  It was a lot of work leading up to it, but seeing the lovely faces of our friends made it all worth it. Each one is so appreciative and helpful. They would do all our work if we let them! We made a few menu adjustments this year, and it seemed to go over much better... the mandarin salad, broccoli salad and corn-on-the-cob were a big hit! 

 

  After eating, we brought them inside for a short gospel message that was translated for those who know less english. Most seemed to listen attentively.   We're thankful to a few from the Agincourt assembly who come frequently to translate for us. You can see Allan here in the picture (black t-shirt). :)

Then it was gift time! All the "helpers/teachers" lined up and greeted the student as they went through the line after picking up their gift. Tears were shed, and everyone - student and "teacher" alike - had genuine big smiles! 

 

We only have two classes, but since Level 1 (Basic everyday English) needs much more one-on-one attention, they have more helpers as you can see from the picture... ;) 

Our Level 2 class (English through the Bible) is a wonderful group. We love them dearly, and they seem to enjoy coming.  They ask wonderful questions and we often realize how much we "skim" over by hearing one of their questions. It's neat seeing the scriptures through their eyes. If you remember from time-to-time, pray for our little group. :)

While it was a year-end celebration, and the beginner level is stopping for the summer break, our little class decided to continue. It just feels wrong to STOP momentum when you have it, and when you have people coming eager to read and discuss a portion of the bible... well, how CAN you stop?! :) We'll see how the summer goes - we may take August off.

Sorry for the lack of layout with the pictures - I can't seem to manipulate them at all. Any tips??

Truth & Love

Just stealing this from today's Bible Bite because it hit home a bit...

"...whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth,

because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever:

Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us,

from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son,

 in truth and love.

I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth,

just as we were commanded by the Father."

(2 John 1:1-4)

"And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments;

this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning,

so that you should walk in it."

(2 John 1:6)

John Stott:  "Christian fellowship should be marked equally by love and truth, and we are to avoid extremism which pursues either at the expense of the other. Our love grows soft if it is not strengthened by truth, and our truth hard if it is not softened by love. Scripture commands us both to love each other in the truth and to hold the truth in love."

Sunny skies and Project Flower Garden

I know I've recently complained about the weather (complaining comes far too easily for me!), but I'm adapting... and starting to really enjoy it! :) We were home this weekend, so I spent most of Saturday outside attacking the one little garden bed we have out front. There will be a later post on this and I will include pictures... you will see the disaster it was last year (weeds almost as tall as Evan!) and the tiny steps we've taken to fix it. Neither of us are gardeners and frankly - when we get home from work at 6pm, prepare supper and eat... the last thing we feel like doing is going outside to work. And as with most of you, the weekends are B.U.S.Y!

But not this past Saturday. We were home and the sun was shining! I enjoyed a leisurely walk down our Main Street popping in and out of stores... then it was time to attack Project Flower Garden (PFG). 
Step 1. Pull out all the weeds... and there are more than you're imagining! :)
Step 2. What to do with the soil?? You can hardly call what we have soil; it's definitely more clay-like, but the weeds seem to like it!  One of our friends had inspired me - he was out rototilling his whole front yard in preparation for re-sodding... figured if he could do his front yard, I could do my 10'x10' bed in preparation for fresh soil and mulch.  So I went to Home Depot and rented a rototiller... thankfully when I asked Evan to lift it out of the truck for me, he took pity did the rototilling! It's definitely harder work than it looks, but we (he) did it! :)

The bed looks fresh and ready... now Next Steps!

Future Step 3. Order good top soil, and then a BIG load of mulch... I will try a "weed control fabric" under the mulch and see if that does any good. Have any of you used that? Does it work??

Future Step 4. Since there's nothing left in the 'bed' except one tree/bush, I will need a trip to the garden centre for plants. Do you have any recommendations for easy to maintain plants that don't need a lot of direct sun and don't need to be watered daily??

Unfortunately the next two weekends are back to B.U.S.Y, so not sure when this will happen. Evan jokes that maybe next year we'll finally get something planted, as it seems to be an annual step forward and not a "get it all done today" event! Anyone want to come do it for us?? ;)

We have our annual ESL BBQ this Saturday, so the very few "free" hours this week will be busy planning, buying, and preparing for the event. Also this Saturday is our annual booth at the Unionville Festival, but unfortunately since it is coinciding with the BBQ, we'll miss out on participating this year. It's usually a great time! The forecast today is rain for Saturday, but we're praying for clear skies for both events! :)