I apologize readers for not posting sooner, but the Internet wasn't working in our room yesterday, so we used the time to shop instead. I also apologize if this entry is mostly nonsense, as I am drinking cheap, cheap, duty free white wine. From a Styrofoam coffee cup. Class-y.

I dropped my first big bills at Albertville Outlet Mall. Some basics from The Gap:

Rule # 1: When you find something you love and on sale, buy it in every colour

Rule #2: Layer, layer, layer.

Another layer piece and *surprise* a book of poetry, from *surprise* a middle-aged ladies' outlet store. It was 8 bucks and made me cry.

The weather on Friday was BEAUTIFUL for walking around an outdoor outlet mall. At random moments I would break into a grin and say to myself, "you are walking OUTSIDE on NOVEMBER 25 in a light sweater, with shopping bags full of items you have legitimized purchasing because your 30th birthday is a week and a bit away." I was in my happy place.

After the outlet mall, Amara and I returned to our hotel room and had a fashion show. Then we went to the Mall of America and made more purchases. Then we hiked it to Chevy's Mexican restaurant for our favourite guacamole and my free, Birthday Entree, which was big enough for us to share. I forgot to take a picture of me and my mojito, but I was wearing the same sweater I wore last year when we went to Chevy's, ordered guacamole and shared an entree, so I will re-post that picture:

Original Posting date November 2010

After dinner we went back to the mall. I don't even remember this. I must have been in a shopping coma, but Amara remembers, and I probably have the receipts to validate her story.

Today we woke up at 7ish even though we had planned to sleep in until 8pm. Feeling wide away and raring to go, we went to the hotel fitness centre and made use of the treadmills. Oooh, Jill, you little bragger you, going to the gym on your holiday. Yeah, well, you know what? I forgot my running socks so my feet went commando and I grew a blister on my right foot, which is sucky when you are supposed to spend the rest of the day walking around a mega mall. Serves me right.

We grabbed breakfast and then hopped the shuttle back to the MOA where I had my eyes focused on shopping for others this time, but still managed to pick up 2 pairs of shoes and some pj pants.

I love the MOA at Christmas

Frilly! Colours! Strappy! Love.

For lunch Amara and I dined at our favourite frozen yogurt bar.

Mine: pumpkin spice, birthday cake batter, egg nog and coconut fro-yo with a few morsels of cookie dough, a dollop of whipped cream, a dousing of hot caramel, and a cherry.

Amara's looks like a fancy trail mix, but trust me there is fro-yo in there.

Lunch was followed by more shopping, then home for more cheap wine, fashion shows, dancing around and now here I am, talking to you. Okay, gotta go, I think I still have five dollars in my wallet.

And miles to go before I sleep

I am in America. Hello, Black Friday weekend. Just a quick note, mostly for Gwen, to say that we are in Fargo at the truck stop. Dinner tonight for me is Puffcorn (popcorn twists in Canadian) and chocolate milk.

We expect to be in our hotel room by 1:30 for a few winks before we have to get on the bus at 9 am to depart for the outlet mall. I have no game plan, no lists, just $500 American, a pile of coupons and my walking shoes. Wish me luck.

My body tells me no, but I won't quit

My day started at three a.m. when I woke up in a sweat with Young the Giant's "My Body" stuck on repeat in my head, among other things.

I had a full day of presentations with classes of grade 11 biology students ahead of me. This day is going to be brought to you by Starbucks, I moaned when it was time to get out of bed.

After nearly leaving the house without my laptop I found my way to pick up one of my speakers--of the people variety, not the audio kind. (My head is still foggy and I couldn't figure out how to make that differentiation in a simpler manner than that.) The Creme Brule latte was helping.

I had three speakers talk today about their experience with organ donation. All of them have amazing, inspiring stories that I love hearing over and over, like a favourite TV episode (which is good when you have to make the same presentation with them five times in a row in one day).

I came home with a heavy heart though because one of my speakers, a kidney recipient, is facing kidney failure again a year and a half after transplant. He is 72 and would be the first to tell you that he has lived a full, good life and that dialysis and transplant gave him time to enjoy retirement from his career as a school principal and spend time with his grandchildren. But the odds of him getting a second transplant are not great and dialysis is not fun. In the next few months he will have to decide if he wants to go back on dialysis or let the kidney failure take its course.

This guy has so much life experience and wisdom in him and I have seen only a small part of it. He has a cute sense of humour that gets the students from high school to med school laughing along with him. I don't let my mind think about my 28-year-old friend Kristin not getting her heart transplant because she has so much life to live, but I also can't imagine the lights going out for this gentleman who continues to inspire, teach and affect people. His transplant only gave him 18 months or so free from dialysis. Was it worth it? Absolutely. If it had only given him an extra week it would have been worth it. I am so grateful it lasted long enough for me to get to know him.

I love this job but I know it is going to break my heart.


My body tells me no
But I won't quit
Cause I want more
Cause I want more
My body tells me no
But I wont quit
Cause I want more
Cause I want more

It rides out of town

Oh, it's my road
It's my road
It's my road
It's my road
It's my road
It's my road

And it's my war
It's my war
It's my war
It's my war

His eyes are open
His eyes are open

--Young the Giant, My Body Tells Me No