October is Rounding the Corner to Home Plate ....

Its Monday again and it was a 'gooder' as they say out here.

They also say when something is broken, that its either "pooched" or "hooped". I've asked several people what it means. Noone knows. Its just an expression, they say. (welllll, no kidding, but whats its origin?)

Moving on. Two of my wonderful girlfriends today asked me, in seperate phone calls, how my day was. "Really good" I reply spiritedly. Slight silence ..... "oh. what made it so good?" they both asked. Me thinking for a second can only come up with "I don't know. I guess I just set the bar really low". And its true. The last two Mondays have been pretty epic-ly (and pardon my made up words ... just work with me here) horrendous. And last night was a shaky one, so I was expecting both conference calls this am to be really bad and they turned out super positive. Then I got to go to Banff and Canmore. My favorite places on earth. So, I guess what I'm saying is, I was totally expecting another 'low blow' day and it wasn't. In fact, it was quite pleasant and productive.

Some funny stories: (maybe not for you, but I need to keep record of this because it made me laugh and anyone who knows Jeremy needs to know this story)
Background Info: Jeremy - look in "Floating Down the Bow" post from August. He's in there. So we've spent a good, solid day with together, he spent time at my house afterwards with everyone, we're Facebook friends, he's one "of the gang", the whole nine yards. He is like Colin Kelly and Rob Rosania put together, so funny and doesn't care what he says or does etc. He's got a huge heart and truly means well in everything he does. (He's the one who, when a story been told by the pastor one time involved a cougar, reached over Bree, and tapped me on the knee - IN CHURCH) So, is that enough info? Heres the story.
I was walking into church on Saturday night, meeting a friend there and I hear a car horn, look up, Jeremy is waving wildly and rolling his window down. "Hey Jeremy" I say surprised, and since he's holding up traffic, "I'll wait for you in the lobby if you want to sit with us" (He goes to a different church usually) So we sit down with the three friends he brought with him who arrived late. He leans over to me and says "Alicia, right?" Church is in progress, and I'm engaged, so I have to divert my attention to him to see what he is talking about. So he repeats "Alicia, your name's Alicia, right?" "Yes, Jeremy" I say, "my name's Alicia.". "Whew", he replies, "I didn't want to look like an idiot after church when I introduced you to these guys". "Dude," I say sarcastically, "we're FB friends, shouldn't you know my name?? Its Leanne, my name is Leanne". I think he may have apologized or something - I don't even remember. Those who know him, can completely relate to this story.

There was a pie party after - where we paid $2 for pie and had to introduce ourselves to someone new. I didn't. I had already hit my quota of new people for the day when Jer narrowly missed looking like an "idiot" when he introduced me to the three he brought with him. So I plunked a tooney in the basket, grabbed some apple pie and stuck with my little group of new friends. And had pie spilled on my by .... guess who?

The weekend was pretty much perfect. Started off with a bra shopping trip with Britters, which morphed into a tour of the mall, including free samples of perfume at the Bay which was proceeded by some shameless compliments to the 'Fragrance Counter Attendant". And some "heres my business card, when you're ready for an iPhone upgrade, let me know". Which led to Saturday morning workout (which didn't happen, but I showed up, which doesn't melt the pounds away, by the way). I went to my microdermabrasion appt, was 15 mins late because Calgary traffic is absolutely hideous, appalling, and messes with your head. Then I go, bare faced, blotchy, red, with my clinically diagnosed acne to Starbucks with my newest friend Julie and said "you know, its pretty liberating sitting here knowing I look like crap. I don't even care and it feels kinda nice". (you'd love her - she's my diva friend, in real estate, drives a Land Rover, wears True Religion jeans with newsboys hats and rocks the Gucci bags pretty hard - met her at church through Travis. I told Travis the other night that he oughta intro me to some cool guys, since he's doing such a good job on the hooking me up with great girls- Bree being the other)
Fast forward to Julie telling me "Theres a really cool store in Inglewood that has designer jeans at half price. The owner is young and hip, her background is in skin care and make up but started this amazing little boutique (check it out here: http://www.espyexperience.com/espynew/ ) etc etc etc.... Go even further to me standing in said boutique, at the jean table, perusing the fab deals, I see movement in front of me, look up, and the owner is there, I smile, say hello. She points at me and says ...... "I've got just the thing to zap that".

YUP. Thats what she said. I turn to my left, look at Julie with an expression that must've prompted her to say slowly and deliberately, "she just got microdermabrasion". Mrs did not care. She went on and on about NS air and how much better it was for your skin and girls that move to Alberta develop acne blah blah. Long story short - I left there with tonnes of samples of skin care that promises to rid me of my 15 year old girl look.

This blog is way longer that I'd planned.

I went to church with Bree on Sunday and there were 4 of the Calgary Stampeders there. Pretty cool. The pastor and the players start whipping little footballs into the crowd with Pastor Anthony saying " This isn't your Grandmothers church you walked into". Meanwhile, the cutest little cotton top ever was sitting in front of me. We went for brunch after and I love that girl so much, I'm so very glad she's in my life. Everyone needs a Bree.

Then off to the Seed. Was told by a guest there that I was his favorite volunteer, that I'm always so pleasant. Hmm. Who knew?? The night ended the very same way it did last Sunday - with me broken hearted because of another teenage girl who couldn't stay there because she was too young. The cops had to come to get her and take her back downtown. When I went to get my coat to leave, Ryan looked at me, pointed and said rather forcefully, "Don't cry." Ugh. It just kills me. The adults, I can handle, its the kids that get me. That image of her sitting in the back of the police car weeping as Ryan and I left breaks me in two.

Ryan is the Mustard Seed's founders son. One of 6 sons! He's one of the funniest people I've ever met - and best friends with Wes' brother, and his brother and Wes are best friends - so totally tight knit group and such a wonderful, big hearted family. They are all well over 6 feet, and Ryan at 6'3, is 340 lbs! He's not allowed on the new furniture at his house. Seriously. His mother told him he's banned from the new couches because he's too heavy. But his heavier brother is, because he's only there once a month or so. Thats true story. Ryan goes to school, thus lives at home and isn't allowed on the furniture on the main level. For now, I'm sure that will pass - I hope so for his sake!

Okay. I have more to tell, but I'm going to go. I need to go to the gym for 8 - hopefully then the smell will have dissapated and I don't have to use the women's side to save my poor nostrils (and gag reflex) from the abuse that comes with working out at peak hours in a gym in NE Calgary. I live in the hood - have I ever told you that? Hard core hood. Though I've not had any problems or heard any gunshots etc. I think its quite nice here .... but I'm just a silly little Nova Scotian who didn't have the good sense to exfoliate enough when I moved here and I trapped all the bad stuff in my skin and developed, 20 years too late, acne. So, what do I know anyway??

Peace Out, Homies

L.
xo