All Was Not Lost...

I guess my last post was a little on the depressing side. And being that I like to maintain a "glass is half full" attitude, I figure I really should make note that while yes, my health did suck for quite some time, there were in fact many bright spots in my summer. It's quite amazing how my perspective can get lost and then be so easily found once my mood is under control! So, epic battle between me and Bipolar aside, here is my revised essay on What I Did On My Summer Vacation.

Undoubtedly the best thing this summer was spending lots of time with my niece and nephew. My brother found himself a great job that gives him weekends off and therefore much time to trek out to the city with my sister-in-law and the kids. Much time was spent at the beach chasing birds, picking up shells and searching for sea life of all sorts (unfortunately we were unable to find stingrays swimming close to shore, although this did not stop my nephew from persevering in his quest!). To me the best thing about meeting at the beach was the "big greet". Like a scene in a movie, as I walked towards the kids they would spot me and completely freak out, arms waving, madly running towards me and jumping into my arms. There is nothing like that kind of love to make you feel good! On top of our beach days together, I played super aunty and had the kids overnight (one at a time!!). Markus is an old pro but this was Katie's first sleepover here and she was fabulous. Highlights: making pancakes with Katie and taking Markus to a 3D Imax movie about sea creatures. Watching him with his big glasses, reaching out for the fish was priceless.

Another top highlight was a surprise visit from the Colonel and Shelley. You will remember that I met Al (the Colonel) and Shelley while in Mexico in March. What a fantastic treat to get a message from the Colonel one day saying they were in town. Well, when the Colonel calls, that's it! I called back, found out they were sitting at the Sandbar (literally across the water from me on Granville Island) and was thrilled to go and join them for a drink. These are two of the most wonderful people I have ever met...warm, fun, full of life. It was just wonderful to get to see them and I was touched that they made time in their short trip to B.C. to make a point of calling.

Also topping the highlight list was the Jack Johnson concert. My mom, brother and sister-in-law had planned to go together, but at the last minute Dave and Helga were unable to come. Mom and I went on without them, Loret even playing scalper to sell the extra two tickets!! (I was so impressed...she was quite the shark!) So she and I took in this AMAZING concert on a beautiful night at UBC. What can I say...I love a man with a guitar. Especially a hot man life Jack. Sigh.

Other highlights include pigging out at the PNE; catching all the amazing fireworks displays; getting in my fair share of time at the beach and thus maintaining a lovely sunkissed glow; having a wonderfully long visit and catch up with my granny, who I had neglected to see for much too long while feeling like crap, despite the fact that she just lives over the bridge in North Vancouver; seeing our friends Justin and Lisa who live in Toronto (but have come to their senses and are soon to be moving back!!!); starting to run again (slowly but surely); and most importantly, starting to wake up every morning feeling like a human being, with a life and everything in me!!! I am sure I am probably forgetting something at the moment, but you get the point...all was not lost on my summer vacation. In fact, it actually looks pretty good, doesn't it?

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

Since it's back to school time, I thought I'd write a little essay about my summer vacation. I remember when I was in my primary years we would draw a picture about our summer vacation and the teacher would write a little sentence and that was it. If I could draw a picture here (or if I could draw period for that matter!) it would probably look something like this: Me at the bottom of the page, very small, wearing big boxing gloves. In from of me a ladder. Above me, hovering over me, trying to overcome me, dark menacing clouds with lightning bolts going every which way, striking fast and furious. Me on the ladder, me falling off the ladder, me on the ladder, me falling off the ladder. Some indication that this up and down the ladder repeated itself over and over and over until finally I was able to reach the top and start the real fight...slowly punching those menacing clouds away, striking the lightening bolts aside until finally there is a sun shining. This is my picture and underneath it I would write "I had an epic battle with a demon called Bipolar. It was kicking my ass for awhile but in the end I kicked it's sorry ass to the curb!"

Yes, most of my summer was spent cycling (and I don't mean on a bike!) like mad, being ultra irritable, irrational, and just plain awful to be around, alternating between utter depression and despondency and not being able to bear another minute of the madness in my head, along with being completely doped up and feeling rather out of it (hence my long absence from here). Sigh. It was a long haul this time - 3 more months of my life taken by my formidable opponent, leaving some battle scars to both me and Dave in its wake. However, in the end I have prevailed, as I always somehow seem to do, and have left this latest battle behind. Gone but not forgotten, once again I now start to claim my life back. And man, do I need a vacation!!!