On the VERGE

This will go down in history as a year of firsts. My first cruise across the Pacific Ocean, my first visit to Hawaii, my first day as a real senior citizen coming up in September, my first ride on the Eurostar train, my first visit to Belgium to celebrate my 65th birthday, AND the first time Vancouver had hosted the Winter Olymics.

The thought of turning 65 is a bit nerve wracking to say the least. Questions arise "Am I turning into my mother?", "Will you still need me, will you still feed me etc.?", and the biggie, "Should I totally eliminate the grey hair or continue to streak around them?"

My DH and I celebrated our 45th year of wedded bliss in Dec. 2009, but we were unable to get away that month so planned a February cruise from LA to Hawaii to celebrate. Vancouver was going to be filled with millions of Olympics crazed tourists and this seemed to be the perfect time to slink away to warmer climates. On Feb. 14th we flew to LA and boarded the Golden Princess.

Friends from Ontario, Lois and Karen B., agreed to house sit for us and care for our 2 cats as they wanted to experience the 2010 Olympics first hand. They arrived Feb. 10th with all the enthusiasm Vancouver was hoping for, and then some. Karen, shy & quiet by nature, really came out of her shell. If you know Karen you realize this is being said tongue-in-cheek.



The 4 day Pacific crossing from Los Angeles to Hilo, Hawaii on the Golden Princess was a great way to start our vacation. The meals were wonderful, maid service excellent, the pace relaxing and the sunsets in the evening were breathtaking. The most difficult decision we faced during the 4 days at sea was whether to have one or two desserts after dinner.


Hawaii was a surprise, in both a good way and a not-so-good way. The temperature was wonderful, the ocean was turquoise, the whales spectacular, the beaches golden, all this was good. However, I missed visiting the Polynesian Cultural Centre as it was closed, and missed attending a Luau as there was none on the shore excursion list. We also opted to not go to the USS Arizona memorial this trip. This leaves us with a desire for another trip to Honolulu for 1 or 2 weeks. Since neither of us are beach bunnies, staying at a beach resort is not as attractive as being in town, but we would like to be close to a beach for walking in the morning or evening.

We are now back into the normal chaos of our daily routines. ESL classes started the week after we got home, Don's audio business is busier than it ever has been, and our church activities are gearing up for the celebration of Easter.

I've finally accepted the fact that I do not have the time to continue being a facebook farm junkie, and have a real life too. Therefore I closed my 2 farms on Farm Town, my Farmville farm, my Cafe World restaurant and my Zoo. How Facebook will ever manage without me, I don't know. Surprisingly enough, since I shuttered the doors of my games 2 of my friends have done the same. Maybe we should start a 12 step program for Facebook Gamers??

I'm looking forward to this summer as we are expecting visitors, my sister and brother-in-law from Belle River, ON, and my cousin and his wife from North Battleford, SK. Living on the west coast is wonderful, but would be even better if our family lived closer to us. Who knows, some day, maybe, they MIGHT move west too.