High Tea and Hotsprings

I thought I'd share a few photos of the time I spent with one of "my people" the other day.

We had two very specific things on our agenda, and everything else we fit was just a bonus.

We were going to have afternoon high tea at the Banff Springs Hotel, and we were going to visit the Banff Hot Springs.

The photos I have are all from high tea.  We didn't take any photos at the Hot Springs, because, well, why risk a very nice camera falling into the water for shots of my blindingly white skin that no one should have to see anyway!

This is us, enjoying our tea service.

One of the two varieties of tea we sampled.  I think this one was an apple spice tea.

The tea service.  It also included a cup of fresh fruit, and a fabulous scone.

The view out the window from where we sat to enjoy tea. Not bad, huh?

Because no trip together to Banff would be complete without a bit of a photo shoot.

Have I mentioned how much I love the mountains that I live near?

This is the Banff Springs Hotel where we had tea, from across the valley.

Daily 5 - Year 2, Day 160

Today's Daily 5:

1. 1 year, 160 days of making these lists
2. actually getting a desperately needed long night of sleep last night
3. pomegranate green tea
4. canned peaches
5. wearing yoga pants and a very comfy workout top all day
6. a long skype chat with a dear friend
7. making my first new recipe of the year - tortellini soup.  It turned out pretty well - not my favorite thing ever, not totally sure I'll repeat it, but still a good experiment.
8. magic bags
9. mentally resolving some things
10. finally making some progress on some class work that has needed to be done for a couple of weeks.

Daily 5 - Year 2, Day 94

Today's Daily 5:

1. Having keys to the building at work, and being able to let myself in, instead of having to beg someone to let me in the way I did the first two days.
2. settling in at my desk for the month, and sipping a mug of pomegranate green tea
3. A smooth bus commute - the bus was sliding all over the icy roads this morning, so it was relieving to get there safely.
4. Blogging/writing via my iphone while on the bus
5. Wearing jeans at work
6. Scarf season - today's was from Kenya (Monday was Morocco, Tuesday was California, tomorrow will be Nepal)
7. wearing a bracelet I like, but rarely wear
8. hemp lip balm from the body shop
9. yoga, and the irony, after some challenging moments today, of listening to the video teacher talk about letting all the problems of the day drain away
10. feeling like my job is something that has a purpose, and isn't self-serving
11. playing games online
12. listening to a large chunk of a fascinating audio book while playing a game online
13. sipping a couple mugs of tea while I puttered
14. a hug from mom
15. a phone call from a dear friend, reminding me that I am loved
16. digging into some of the few remaining Almond Joy bars in the stash I brought home from California
17. chocolate in general was a blessing tonight
18. finding reasons to laugh
19. 2 Corinthians 5, in The Message
20. re-reading "Sidney and Norman: A Tale of Two Pigs"  "First, I love you.  Second, I love you.  Third, I love you."

Daily 5 - Year 2, Day 79

Today's Daily 5:

1. really cute twin girls on the bus this morning, chorusing, "thank you bus driver" as they disembarked with their nanny
2. a relatively good sleep last night for the first time in a while
3. starting the morning slowly
4. toast with butter and jam
5. sunshine
6. getting a few quick errands done
7. reading on the bus again
8. finishing a book
9. my neck pillow
10. a mug of rooibos tea in my own room, in a new mug I bought specifically for that purpose
11. This quote from an old episode of Grey's Anatomy: "At the end of the day, the fact that we have the courage to still be standing is reason enough to celebrate."
12. getting a bit of cleaning done
13. watching escapist television and laughing as I realized that the book I'd just finished reading was causing me to talk back to the television in a very snarky tone
14. candles lit around the room
15. making a plan for the day, and actually accomplishing the tasks I set for myself
16. talking politics as supper with mom and dad

Indoor Plans for a Grey Day

40 minutes ago I relocated from bed to the armchair in mom and dad's living room.

An hour before that, I said goodbye to mom and dad and settled in to enjoy a week of time alone, and away from Grandma's house.

I'm sitting here, in the recliner, watching an old episode of M*A*S*H* that happened to be on television, while I catch up on some emails and blog reading.

A bit later I need to fill out some forms for my appointment at the American consulate tomorrow morning.

I've got a mug of pomegranate green tea, and just finished eating a pumpkin muffin.

In a couple of hours, a friend is picking me up here, and we're going out for lunch.

It's a grey day again, snow threatening to fall, and some sitting on the ground.

I plan to spend it curled up indoors.

A book I've been expecting arrived, and I'm planning to settle in with it.

I started a novel yesterday.

And I have a chapter of the book my house church is reading together to conquer.

I came down with a sore throat yesterday, and a stuffy head feeling that tells me I'm once again battling a cold.

Curled up with a book or books and tea and blankets seems the best way to conquer this day.

Barring lunch with my friend, of course.

Days like this, where grey can be ignored, or muted with books and tea and long, hot baths are the sort I like.  If it's going to be grey, I like it when there are comforting indoor options.

What Winners Drink

Dana posted this image, and I loved it, so I "borrowed" it!

Daily 5 - Day 339

Today's Daily 5:

1. Trading my hated Monday vaccuming chore for the chore of cooking supper.  I definitely got the way better end of that deal in my mind.
2. A tall mug of pomegranate green tea
3. taking a long hot bath and reading
4. watching the movie "Stranger than Fiction" with Mom and Dad tonight.  such great lines in that movie, and really, just one of the generally most creative and lovely movies on my list of favorites.
5. sleeping at mom and dad's tonight, because it's easier to get downtown for my 9 am midterm exam tomorrow morning from their house, than it is from Grandma's house.

Daily 5 - Day 333

Today's Daily 5 (intro to the daily 5 concept here):

1. the mingled smells of leftover campfire and fresh, rain cleansed air this morning as I walked to the bus
2. missing the bus I'd planned to take because it came early, but not needing to stress out about it, because this week is going more on schedule than last week
3. fruit smoothies - my parents have this crazy superpowerful blender called a Vitamix, and most mornings mom throws a variety of whole fruit in there, turns it on, and produces healthy and tasty concoctions that go quite wonderfully with whatever I am having for breakfast
4. I had a cup of pomegranate green tea this morning because it was cold and damp here today.  I haven't had a cup of tea in a couple of weeks, and it was wonderful to sip at while I made anatomy notes
5. had a job interview today.  I likely won't accept the position if it is offered, as, for the moment, it's looking like school needs to be my "job" until the end of the summer, and this particular job pays rather poorly anyway, but it was fun to dust off "professional Lisa" for a couple hours.
6. On the other hand, it was absolutely brilliant to arrive back at mom and dad's after the interview and put my jeans and hoodie back on.
7. had kind of an emotionally trying evening and mom invited me to spend the night
8. took advantage of spending the night at mom and dad's and relaxed with a novel in a hot bath, with a cup of rooibos tea.  apparently this was my day for tea.  long baths (or baths of any sort really, other than quick showers) aren't really a possibility at Grandma's so it's nice to take advantage of that at mom and dad's once in a while.
9. got a treatment from mom, too, which definitely helped with the need to just relax a bit.
10. thankful just for family - no questions tonight, just lots of love.

Daily 5 - Day 328

Today's Daily 5:

1. Meeting a friend in person for the first time.
2. Hours and hours of wonderful conversation with two different friends over two different "coffee" dates today.
3. The kinds of conversations that feed soul, not just mind
4. A fantastic cup of Roman Provence Rooibos tea from Higher Ground coffee shop - seriously folks, I've had that particular strain of rooibos before, but this was the best cup of tea I've had in ages.
5. sitting in the sun, talking, praying, laughing
6. got a ten minute yoga workout in - it's amazing to me that I can move my neck and shoulders without pain.  I have horrendous bruises (that I admittedly showed to everyone I met today, simply because they amuse me greatly) from last night's cupping experience, but dang if it didn't really and truly loosen up muscles that my health care guy declared to have "knots on top of knots" only yesterday.
7. totally wasn't a day that was as productive as I would have preferred for studying, but there was much to feed my soul instead, and I'm going to choose to celebrate that and not worry about the longer days and time I'll need to put in on the weekend.
8. laughter
9. new friends - both of those I had coffee with are relatively new, and are relationships that I am encountering God's blessing in
10. getting out a little bit - in some ways I'm feeling a bit these days like my world has shrunk.  I spend most of my time buried in textbooks, I'm not killing hours sitting in front of a computer with little to do and I thus forget to check news headlines for days at a time, and I can go days or a week without seeing anyone except my family.  Days like today where I got out to go for coffee, and where I do a few errands with whichever parent is heading out that day, are a blessing right now for my slightly shrunken world.

Daily 5 - Day 307

Today's Daily 5:

1. These two posts, here, and here (read them in that order) about trust on Kirsten's blog.  I've been quietly enjoying her blog for a while (loved the series about becoming Catholic for so many reasons), but particularly enjoyed reflecting on these latest two posts, especially given my own journey these last several years.  In fact, I think I'll have to find time to write a post on trust one of these days.
2. A mug of lemon-mango tea as I studied in the cold basement today.
3. The memory of a lovely, special, sunny day by Lake Huron with a dear friend a few weeks back.  I'm savoring memories of sun right now, since we've had almost two weeks of rain, and it poured again today.
4. kit-kat bars
5. butter chicken for supper.  I'm learning to like curry!  Maybe India (a place I've dreamed of traveling to) really will be doable someday!

It's definitely Monday

Today marks the beginning of what promises to be a crazy week.

This coming Sunday my baby brother will be married.  In the meantime, the entire extended family is consumed with wedding details, and tucking the stuff of day to day life in between the wedding details.

I had another weekend full of life curve balls.  As I jokingly pointed out to a friend in an email last night, I could probably make a killing off my blog, in advertising, and readers, if I was only anonymous, and able to share the crazyness that life has been throwing at me lately in a public place.

I've been getting messages in my tea, lately, too.  No, not that kind of message in my tea.  I mean that, with the brand of green tea I've been drinking for my weekday morning "warm me up" beverage has little inspirational messages printed on the paper tag attached to the tea bag.  They've been amusingly hard-hitting to various lessons I've been learning lately.  Today's reminded me "You only give when you love."

I woke up this morning with a brutal head ache.  Thankfully, the drugs I swallowed before I even turned on the lights seem to be making some headway.

I'm wearing my wedding shoes around the office today (and probably several more days this week.)  I'm a little afraid of what will happen if I don't wear them for a whole lot of days, and then I have to wear them for ten or twelve straight hours on Sunday.

I have a list of blog posts planned, but finding time to write them this week will be the challenge.  I want to talk a bit more about Sara Miles' "Jesus Freak" and a bit about the newest book that booksneeze.com sent me to review.  I'm really enjoying this one "I am Hutterite" - it's a fascinating account, and is reviving my hope in Thomas Nelson - a hope that had been rather dented by the slogging necessary for a reading of "A Hole in Our Gospel".  I want to talk again about Donald Miller's "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years", too.

But this week might be a week for purging my inbox of built-up quotes and various thoughts from Henri Nouwen.  I have a wedding slideshow to tackle, and some wedding errands to do.  A few personal obligations and some church obligations as well.

So, we'll play it by ear.

Which, at this moment, is all I can manage.  Because it definitely feels like a Monday.

Daily 5 - Day 265

Today's Daily 5:

1. Miss Vickie's Sweet Chili & Sour Cream potato chips
2. Pomegranate green tea
3. Cooked my first new recipe for the month of May tonight at Mom and Dad's house
4. A hug from my mom
5. a quiet evening with my parents, cooking, visiting, and just generally feeling the reassurance that family offers in a way other people don't.

Daily 5 - Day 253

Today's Daily 5:

1. a little boy giggling loudly and contagiously on the train this morning.  I could hear his laughter through my headphones and turned to look and smile.
2. apple cinnamon oatmeal for breakfast
3. pomegranate green tea
4. wearing fun earrings today
5. Subway for lunch with a coworker
6. laughing and working on a project at work with our receptionist
7. booking off an extra day in June
8. getting a seat on the train on the way home (rare), giving it to a lady who had her entire leg in a brace, and then actually finding another seat.
9. quiet evening at home
10. early to bed

Monday morning basics

I have a car now, did I mention that on the weekend?

But I still took the train to work today.  I find driving stressful at the best of times, and even more so since my car accident in late January.  So, I cut off the time I spend on the bus by driving my car to my parent's house, parking it there, and walking to catch the train.  They live about a 3 minute walk from a train station.  My plan is to still take the train 3-4 days a week, using this new method.  I've found I greatly appreciate that quiet time in the mornings and after work, time where I can simply worship, or listen to a sermon or audiobook.  Without the stress of focusing on the road while I listen, or worship or pray.

It was nice to sleep a bit later, and to dress for the day in a slightly less hurried fashion.  The advantage of not having to be at the bus stop by exactly 6:54 am.

If I take the train 3-4 days a week, I can justify the purchase of a bus pass.  I'm fairly certain that I'll save the cost of the bus pass in gas, and the bus pass is a tax deduction at the end of the year.  Not a huge one, but a deduction none-the-less.  And, not only is less driving less stress, but it fits well with my desire to live more simply, and more environmentally friendly.  Especially since my car is quite old, and probably not the most fuel efficient vehicle on the planet.

It's Monday and the air conditioner in our office building is broken.  There is a call in to the provider, and hopefully we'll get some movement on this today.  We've hit the first hot weather of the season, and we're on the top floor, and it is HOT in here.  (And if I'm saying it's hot, it really must be, since I'm generally always cold!)  I'm particularly invested in someone coming to fix the air conditioner because I'm the one on our staff that people will complain to and grump at because they're too warm.

I'm thinking, given the heat, that I'll skip my planned bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, and eat the mini cinnamon buns that I brought with me instead.  A tasty was to start the day.  I'll probably skip my mug of tea as well, though that I'll miss just a little bit more.

I'm just thankful that I went with the impulse to wear a skirt and short-sleeved top this morning.

So, it's Monday morning, and those are the basics right now.

Heat.  Water.  Finding ways to utilize my car, but still be less stressed.  Breakfast.  And maybe tea.

Weighty Headspace

I'm in a weird headspace this morning.  A good one, but weird, in that it is rare and unusual.

I haven't felt like this since a particular lovely day last fall in Stratford, filled with a crazy church service, twirling beside the river, swans, and dear friends.  It's a funny, weight of God's presence very near, sort of headspace.  I hope it doesn't go away for a while, even if it does have me giggling at random moments as I sit here in my office.

I have blog posts brewing and bubbling inside me at the moment, too.  I'm not totally sure when in the next few days I'll get a chance to write them, but there are posts about things like a humorous potential new tagline for the blog, and moving into Grandma's house, and one with the title "You Want Me to What???"

In the meantime, I'm going to sit here and enjoy this weighty, joyful, peaceful headspace.  This presence of God near.  And I'm going to laugh at some of the crazy, ironic, "god has a bizarre sense of humor" events that have shaped my week, and wonder what else this week will hold.  And I'm going to make myself a cup of tea.  Because it seems like passion tea will go well with this headspace.

Daily 5 - Day 217

This was sort of a harder day, mostly because of the really rough night last night.  The sort of day when I need to make even more of an effort to find happy things.  The things I'm thankful for or the things that make me smile.

Today's Daily 5:

1. Thankful for a few valued friends who I know will pray if I email and ask.  Who I know pray anyway, but are definitely willing when there is something specific.
2. Thankful for the insulated mug, especially designed for loose tea that I used for the first time tonight.  A parting gift from L., and one I will enjoy.
3. Lemon Mango fruit infusion loose tea
4. Carrying light to dark corners
5. A lit candle flickering on my dresser
6. Made it through the day - after the rough night last night, there were points of the day where I wasn't certain I would make it, at least without loosing it, but I did.  And that was a simple blessing.
7. Listening to and enjoying an audio book the whole way home.  I'm still finding it hard to read in the traditional way for any length of time (working on gaining that attention span and concentration lost to the health struggles back)  But I'm loving the use of audio books, because listening I can do, and I have an hour or more each day, coming home via public transit, that I can devote to listening.  And I'm loving the way it's causing my brain to kick in again.  To analyze, anticipate, and engage with the stories.  To examine their effect on me and my own thoughts and beliefs.  To broaden my knowledge.
8. TED videos - I'm loving these for the same reason as audio books right now.  Mostly, I play them in the background while I'm working, but by listening, I can expose myself to a whole variety of fascinating thinkers and ideas.  It feels good to be challenged in that way again, to feel an appetite for knowledge and engagement with the world returning to me (though perhaps tempered by the experiences of the last few years.)
9. A brief phone conversation, and laughing with my mom tonight
10. Still really enamored by just having cooked well the other night - had the last of that food for dinner tonight, and it was so tasty all over again.  And, my body is thanking me for healthier food choices these last few days.
11. (Bonus!) Green grapes

Saturday

At about 4:00 I curled up in my bedroom.

The plan is to be here for the rest of the day.

To deal with some budgeting and paperwork.

To read.

To write.

To pray.

To rest.

The day was full. 

A health appointment this morning with my natural health practioner.

Then errands for a while with my mom.

Then home, a quick lunch, and the spur of the moment decision to grocery shop for the week to come with my roommate.  That decision was made because I'm trying to jealously guard my free evenings in the coming week, to guard the margin space, the time for rest that I've created.  I didn't want to give up one of those evenings to a task so odious as grocery shopping at the soul-sucking mega store.

So I'm sitting here, curled up, sipping a lemon-mango fruit infusion tea, and smelling lavender burning in my oil burner.

And this is where I plan to stay, emerging only very occasionally, until bedtime.

And tonight I'm hoping for sleep, because tomorrow will also be full.

I'll be back later with the daily 5, and maybe one or two other posts as well.  See ya then!

Daily 5 - Day 137

Today's Daily "5":

1. Turkey Chili for lunch at mom and dad's
2. A blog redesign
3. Listening to the personalized mix cd that was part of J.'s Christmas gift to me while I worked on the blog this afternoon - loving the music on it!
4. Watching the movie "Bedtime Stories" with Mom and Dad tonight - I'm increasingly a fan of funny, creative, imagination inspiring kid's movies.
5. Thankful for a car that is still getting me from place to place safely
6. Incredibly thankful that I am still off of work for another week
7. Loving checking out photos of friends Christmases on blogs or facebook - especially a few friends who were celebrating the first Christmases for their new little ones
8. playing simple games on facebook
9. grateful for the healing in my relationship with my parents that is letting me truly enjoy all the time we've been spending together
10. sipping a cup of mango rooibos tea
    
11. 137 days of writing lists of things that make me smile... it's crazy to think I've been doing this that long!
    

Baby it's cold outside...

I was all set to complain loudly about the cold (it's -28 C with a windchill of -33C), until I read Hope's post. She lives in regions even further north, and it sounds like it is WAY worse there.

But seriously, have you heard the term "cradle of civilization"? As I was getting ready to go out into the cold last night I was reflecting on the fact that the birthplace of the human race was in the middle east. Do they have snow or cold there? Not so much. Human beings are just not designed for this kind of weather as far as I'm concerned.

And it won't stop snowing here. Days and days without seeing the sun now. I miss the sun, even though here, in the winter, if the sun is out, it is often colder, because cloud cover holds in some warmth.

Since I'm needing to lay low today (at least until the event on my schedule for tonight) I did one quick errand this morning, and now I'm going to do a bit of baking (and fill my house with yummy smells), find something to eat for lunch, and then spend the afternoon wrapped in a blanket, reading and thinking and praying. With lots of candles lit in my bedroom to warm up the air. And a big mug of rooibos tea.

And if I'm feeling really creative, I'll make a birthday card or two, and several Christmas cards.

Or I might just take a nap.

I mostly slept last night, the last two nights actually, but even the brief trip out this morning has sapped my somewhat limited energy and right now a bit of baking, some lunch, and a nap is sounding pretty good to me.

Daily 5 - Day 121

Today's Daily "5":

1. Dinner invitation from Mom. Though I do sometimes turn these down, it's rare. Mostly because on the nights when I would have onlly been cooking for myself, it's nice to not have to cook.
2. Climbing out of a long hot shower and putting on pajamas still warm from the dryer.
3. clay mask on my face for a while
4. freshly washed towel for after my shower, and freshly washed sheets on my bed to climb into shortly
5. the scent of myrhh filling my bedroom (oil burning in my oil burner tonight)
6. A friend's facebook status that I came across tonight which made me chuckle. It read: ...is having a hard time making lemonade with life's lemons today. Maybe we should kill all the lemon trees? I'd rather make wine anyway!
7. not having to sit in traffic for hours thanks to another successful train ride
8. sipping a cup of mango rooibos tea.
9. getting lots of little domestic things done while still enjoying a quiet evening with an empty house
10. being in a space of prayer deeply, even though it's uncomfortable and rather exhausting, I'm glad for the moments when Jesus deeply draws my heart to pray.