you write such pretty words but life's no storybook

listening: bright eyes, lover I don't have to love

Wow. Again, where have I been? I've been having the kind of two weeks where even when I'm not doing anything, I've been so content in my laziness that even coming to chronicle it has seemed like a mere distraction instead of my usual lifeline (even in my entries' usual scattered, disjointed state).

And from that, you can conclude what my holiday has been like: the first real deep breath I've taken in a long time. The first few days in White Rock were very odd for me - I legitimately had no plans, nothing to do, and a lot of time for myself. I think I even said to Craig at one point that all the relaxing was stressing me out. I spent hours out on the deck reading, sunburning myself neatly to a crisp in the process. (Vancouver and area had one of the nicest weeks I'd seen in a while - it rained only on Saturday night, the 27th, and was above 25 degrees the rest of the week). I took quite a few walks - some in the company of Craig or Natalie, and a couple by myself. White Rock Beach and I became very good friends - it was the first place Craig's family dropped us off on Saturday afternoon, and we went back there two or three times. The ocean, the pier, and the shadowy shape of the States across the bay are fixed in my memory. White Rock is a beautiful place.

I also got the happy opportunity to go into downtown Vancouver twice - once on Canada Day, where we visited the loud, vibrant Granville Island, and once the day before I left - which was excellent. As much as the atmosphere of a small town was really nice for my vacation and trying the whole 'relaxing' thing, I am undoubtedly and irrevocably a city girl at heart, and Vancouver is a fascinating city. If ever you were looking for the definition of the term 'melting pot,' Vancouver is it.

Also on this trip, I got to spend some time with Craig's friends Natalie and Elisa about whom I had heard so much, and they completely lived up to their glowing descriptions.

I came back to Calgary on the 4th of July and have had the good fortune of enjoying another relaxing week. I have not done one thing I did not want to do, and I have had the great fun of hanging out with my family, seeing my dear friends Sam, Kees, Elliot, Chloe, Robyn and Michael, in addition to Phil since he was here for his vacation, playing hostess to Ruthie and Adam, and seeing Matt, Julie, Meaghan, David and Caitlin as well.

I have done a lot of thinking, a little writing, some piano-playing, some seeing Taylor Swift, some crying, a lot of laughing, some decision-making and some just lying in the sunlight not making any decisions at all. It's been beautiful and perfect and exactly what I needed. And I'm even looking forward to being back at work and sharing some of the stories with Carly and Michele in my usual over-exuberant way.

ykylm,

rae