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Hello Again!

I know it's been forever since I've updated here..and I think that for the next while at least..this blog will remain fairly stagnant..but that doesn't mean that I'm not updating!

I'm still updating (fairly) reguarily from my travel blog..but the more I think about it..the more afraid I am to have it open to the public..so I've restricted it to only people who I invite..so if you'd like an invite..leave a comment here with your email and I'll send you an invite..or you can email me with your email asking to be granted access to this blog at daydreaminggirl@gmail.com

<3

An Absence Of Sorts

I know that I haven't been updating lately..

But I have been updating a little at my travel blog a little more than here..

I've just been very busy...as is pretty par for the course :)

And now, I must run..as I'm just procrastinating and I have SO much to do! I promise I'll have more witty fun posts once I'm IN EUROPE!!!!!!!!

Love you all!

Adventures!

Hey folks!

I've decided to start another blog to write about my European Adventures! I'll DEFINITELY still be blogging here..but just wanted a place where I could keep in touch with friends and family and let them know what's going on in regards to my travels! (For some reason..I'm not quite ready to open up THIS blog to a lot of my family yet..haha!) I'll be posting stories and sharing pictures of the places I visit HERE though!! So although I definitely will STILL be updating here with daily rants, stories and thoughts..I won't be posting QUITE as many travel stories..since I'm starting to sound like a broken record..and that's basically all I ever seem to talk about or write about anymore!

So if you want to follow along..make sure to check that out!! (and come visit me here too!)

Perspective

So the strawberry farm that I work and live on isn't just a home for strawberries..we have many a fresh produce option. We grow a lot of different fruits and vegetables..strawberries being one of our biggest crops..but we also grow raspberries, blueberries, gooseberries, black currants, red currants, peas, beans, tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, zucchini and amazing sweet corn..amongst other things that I know I'm forgetting.

So to deal with this produce..we have a store that I work in on most days (when I'm not at the farmers markets with Shop Girl*) to sell things that we grow..and over the years we've expanded to include things from other local farms that we either don't or can't grow here...peaches, plums, lettuce, onions, beef, cheese, etc.

The emphasis that we've always tried to put on the things that we provide for other people is fresh, local produce with friendly service..and we've grown a lot over the years to make this work...and continue to put in unmeasureable amounts of time and effort in an attempt to make the farm that we love successful, all the while providing a quality service to the people of this area.

This being said..I've grown up on this farm. I moved here when I was four..and have thus lived here for the last 18+ years. I have an immense connection with it..I've always been in the 'front' of the operation..while my brother and my Dad focused their energy on growing amazing produce..my job has always focused more on the service part of the job..and displaying and selling the produce to the public...and after years of fielding questions and providing information about produce...and running our store (Which, by the way, started out with my first sale off of a picnic table on our front lawn, and has now grown to be a full fledged store with a variety of products).

Now, I often have 'stories' about things that happen in my day to day existence within our store..and this particular one happened the other day..

A woman came in..and I greeted her with a friendly hello as I do with anyone who comes into our store...she seemed rather reserved and a little bit..cold...but I went about doing what I was doing while she looked around..I recognized her as someone who had been in the store before..and always has had a sort of..sour personality...always grumbling about something..and just generally not a very happy person..regardless..I tried to be my normal happy self.

After a few minutes, I could hear her humming and hawing and sighing as she looked at the green and yellow beans..

I asked if she was finding everything okay or if there was anything I could help with..and she said "well, I would get some of the beans..but these just aren't any good"....I was surprised, as I always try to keep pretty tight control over the quality of whatever we're selling, especially at the store..and had been looking at the beans not less than ten minutes ago..and didn't find anything wrong with them.

Now, I don't consider myself an expert on produce...but I do know a fair bit. Living and breathing produce every summer for the vast majority of my life has given me a little bit of an edge on the subject matter...but I'm far from knowing a TON of stuff, let alone everything..and I know this..but I do attempt to share my knowledge whenever possible..because..well..I'm a produce dork...AND..knowledge makes the world go round..everyone needs food..so you might as well be as educated as possible about it.

So, that being said..I was like..oh..what's wrong with them..and went over to look...the woman mumbled something about them not being 'good'..but couldn't seem to explain to me WHY they weren't any good. I was a little confused, as they looked and felt perfectly fine to me...but over the years..I've become pretty use to people who like to pretend that they know what they're talking about...and like to pretend that I don't..because I'm not as old as them or I'm not as experienced in life as them or whatever..

And it had been a kind of 'blah' day. So I smiled sweetly..and told her that I'd go and grab some other beans out of the cooler for her to have a look at and walked into the back room and grabbed a bin of beans. I brought them out into the front of the store..and showed them to her.

Upon seeing them, she instantly exclaimed that these were 'much better' and 'exactly what she wanted' and quickly filled a bag with them, paid for her purchases and left.

As I was putting the beans back in the cooler..I couldn't help but laugh a little to myself..and wonder why it is that we do the things that we do...why some beans aren't good enough..and others are just perfect...

Especially since this woman had no idea..that mere minutes before she had arrived in the store...I had taken the beans to put on display...from that exact same bin which was 'much better' than the exact same beans that was on display. I never said that either beans were fresher, they weren't any different..infact..they were exactly the same...yet she somehow believed that the ones that I brought out of the back..were somehow superior to the ones that I had just before put out for display...even though they looked, tasted and WERE the exact same.

It's funny how perspective can change so much. How we can make assumptions about things..and although we often make assumptions based on appearance...this one wasn't even based on that..it was just based on perspective....and in this case..was based on an assumption which was completely and totally inaccurate...and only confirmed to me that she didn't know what she was talking about.

So that was my little game for the other day..had she actually balked and said that the bin of beans I brought out wasn't up to the quality she desired..then I *may* have believed that there was actually something wrong with them..despite them just having being picked..but now I'm content in knowing that she was just being nit picky and didn't actually know what she was talking about.

Today's Lessons? A) Don't jump to conclusions or make opinions based upon assumptions. B)Know what you're talking about..or else I may prove that you're actually full of it...and then I will think you're probably an airhead who doesn't really know anything but likes to pretend that they do :)

And yes. Just in case you're wondering..the woman was back in the next day..raving about how good her beans were..and asking me to get more out of the bin from the back.
Sometimes..it's all about plastering a sweet smile on your face..and letting them pretend that they know what they're talking about.



Disclaimer: I'm not USUALLY a person who likes to trick or decieve people..I'm actually...usually..a pretty good(ish) person. I just had this funny gut feeling..that this woman knew absolutely nothing about what she was talking about..and was complaining just for the sake of complaining..and it gave me a smug sense of satisfaction to sell her the exact same beans which were on display..but had somehow magically transformed into produce which was suddenly 'good enough' for her..because they were 'different' from what was on the table. There was absolutely nothing wrong with them..and in fact..I ate the same ones for dinner myself that night. You can always ask Shop Girl* about difficult customers if you'd like to know more..we don't usually have too many..but she can confirm that sometimes..they're just plain stupid...and also..that sometimes..there are days..when you've somehow been magnatized to attract every stupid, nit picking idiot on the face of the earth..LOL.

Packing Up The Pieces..

My fate is still up in the air..I'm heading to Europe fairly soon...but that is a little bit up in the air right now. I'm waiting for my visa..and my travel plans aren't completely and totally solidified...which is in a word...terrifying! I'm excited to go..beyond belief! But it's also quite scary to think about leaving for give or take a year! I'm hoping that in the next day or two I can finalize my travel plans and get everything organized. Technically I should be leaving REALLY soon..but it's this darn work visa that's making everything more difficult! Ah well, guess you've just gotta take the good with the bad..I hope that it can be sorted out soon though..I'm really quite anxious to get on my way and do some travelling :)

In my attempt to "sort out" my life and get things organized for being out of the country for a year I've been doing many things. I've got an international drivers lisence, I've purchased a couple of my favourite english books, I've got a phrase book which gives me certain phrases from English --> French, German and Italian (Handy, since those are three of the main languages spoken in Switzerland, where I'm headed). I've started buying those necessary items that I always *want* when I'm travelling..extras of certain things that I want to take with me..some new clothes...the general getting ready to travel things. It's hard though, because I'm attempting to get things ready for the next YEAR. As I'm discovering, a year is A LOT longer than it seems. I'm trying to pack things and accumulate things for multiple seasons. This means everything from jeans and t-shirts to skirts to sweaters to snow pants. There are a lot of different things that I feel are going to come up that I'm going to be like "darn, I wish I'd brought ______".....but I'd like to have as many of the "essentials" as I can now..so that I can save up the money I'm making there for my REAL emergency buys..and of course..that pesky little backpacking through Europe thing of which just the THOUGHT of has me hooked.

One of the main things I've been trying to accumulate before I go though..isn't anything that I can buy or gather up or pack into my suitcases...It's not something that has a physical form or something that can be touched or even seen...but it's something that I already know that I'm going to miss the most when I leave home.

The thing that I've been trying to gather the most of during my final weeks and days at home is simply love, friendship, warmth and family. I've been attempting to 'soak up' as much possible love from everyone around me...in every way I know how. Just spending quality time with the people I love..and trying to make an effort to do this is any way I know how. It's been hard..because no matter who I'm spending them with..I always wish that there were more hours in a day so that I could squeeze in extra time with others, with more of those people who I hold closest to my heart..but there just never seems to be enough time.

I wish that I'd started 'soaking up' love from people earlier. It's something that we should all do all of the time..spend as much time with the people with love as is humanly possible..but unfortunately, it seems that the vast majority of people (myself included) don't do or make enough time for these things...There are always excuses it seems..being too tired, to drained, too busy, too WHATEVER..and then we loose sight of what's really important. We forget to savour each moment, to cherish the little things and really live life to the fullest...

I'm glad that I've been trying to spend as much time with everyone as I can lately..even though sometimes I do flake and don't spend nearly as much time with everyone as I want to..even though I feel torn because I wish there was a way for me to do EVERYTHING that I want to do and spend as much time with everyone as possible...I'm still TRYING..even if it doesn't REALLY seem like I am.

I just want to have as many reserves of love and happiness stored in my soul as possible..because I know that when I leave home..I'm going to desperately miss it here. Even though I'm ready to leave, even though I want to have adventures..even though I need to experience new things..I know that once I leave..I will miss things here...I will miss chatting with my Dad after we've finished our day...I will miss sitting on the deck when the sun comes down..I will miss going out for drinks with Nannon..and going to the park with Nenna...I will miss coffee dates..and swimming at the cottage..and just joking around...I will miss everyone's smiles and their laughs...

Not only will I miss these things, but there will also be events that I miss. Birthdays, weddings, milestones and other occasions that are hard to leave behind..so I'm hoping that by having so many happy, lovely, wonderful memories tucked away in my head..I'll be able to rely on these..and not be so sad about missing out on certain things that I know will tug at my heartstrings.

I know that I have an amazing adventures ahead of me..and I know I am going to have the time of my life..a completely and undeniably once in a lifetime experience..

But I can't help but think about the things and the people who I will miss more than anything..

If only I could bottle them up and bring them with me..

I guess that would probably defeat the purpose of leaving home to experience new things and meet new people...but I suppose it at least will (and maybe already has?) make me appreciate the people in my life a lot more than I have been...and make me cherish those little moments for what they really are..classic bits of old fashioned love and happiness...

Despite everything..despite the stress..despite everything else that is going on...Life is still okay...in fact..life is good. :)

Old Fashioned Love

At work, I often run into a lot of different characters. Some of them are good, others are...not so good. Some of them a little out there..some aren't really there at all. Some are young, some are old, and some are at that generic place of inbetween.

This story has to do with two that I happened upon a few weeks ago.

It was a rather slow moment at the store..I was cleaning up around the front of the store..so I watched as a man, weathered with age, liverspots and laugh lines got out of the car and slowly made his way to the passenger side. I then watched in awe as he opened the door for his grey haired wife and they made their way into the store...hand in hand. Now, I'm fairly use to couples coming into our store, especially couples that are on the older of the age spectrum. But there was something different about this couple. They weren't holding hands because they were leaning on each other, or because one was unsteady on their feet. No, despite their grey hair and obvious age, they were holding hands..simply for the sake of holding hands. Their arms swayed back and forth as they walked and they made simple, light conversation as they walked to the entrance.

Upon their arrival to the store they walked around and then eventually asked if they could go out to the fields to go picking their own strawberries. I said of course, showed them the different baskets we had and then sent them on their way. I told them they could either walk down to the field, or wait for a tractor ride...but they opted to walk. As they want on their way I could hear them chit chattering and laughing all the way to the field...walking again..hand in hand. They had the biggest smiles on their faces and looked at each other with such love in their eyes that I couldn't help but smile myself...

I can only hope that I find someone who I can love that much. Who I can grow old and gray with..who still smiles and laughs and jokes with me..who knows me better than I know myself and spend the rest of my days with...happy and content with life and everything that it brings. With the current state of our society..where people don't seem to stay together forever anymore..it gives me hope and faith that it can be done. This couple completely and totally restored my faith in love...and makes me dream that it all really is possible :)

And with that, I will head off to bed..with dreams of happiness and endless love filling my heart with joy :)

Here Comes The Bride..

No, it's not me. It's DEFINITELY not me. It's so far from being me..it's actually almost FUNNY.

Basically, to spill the beans..One of my two best friends...my lovely Nenna got engaged to her very own Effrey!

Now, I could not be happier..as I love BOTH of these two DEARLY. (In fact, I love them both at LEAST as big as a dump truck, and maybe even a digger) I'm so excited for them..as the wedding planning is ALREADY in FULL swing! In the few short weeks they've been engaged they've managed to secure a venue, church, place for photos..as well as other things! These things are a necessity to do early..as evidently wedding things are super popular..and the 'big ticket' issues apparently have to be booked well in advance.

So this ALSO means..I get to be a bridesmaid. Which I am super DUPER excited about as I love weddings and being in weddings and doing fun wedding-ish stuff! The last time I was the bridesmaid in December I had a blast and everything just worked out and was so beautiful and happy and wonderful that I'm REALLY excited to be a part of that again for others that I hold closest to my heart.

ANNND...I've got a little book and everything.

It's really true, I do. Because you know, I'm a giant loser like that. It has things that *I* have to do, things that I have to remind Nenna to do, and also things that cannot be done under any circumstances (For instance, the fun of the chicken dance has been banned...I know, collective 'AWWW'...but what can ya do?)

So I'm excited..in 13.5 months..my Nenna and Effrey will ACTUALLY be married. For real. They'll be their own real little family....and as Nenna's little boy Gigglenuts has told us..we all know that getting married means that "Mommy and Effrey will live with me forever" - It's the true definition of marriage..straight from the mouth of a three year old. ACTUALLY.

Holy moly...the more I think about this..it's scary! Not scary in the TYPICAL way..but just in the 'Wow - I'm so behind on this 'growing up' thing' kind of way....haha - ah well..I guess we all do things in our own different times..haha! :)

Anyways. So when I finally got confirmation that a proposal HAD happened...I drove 1.5 hours to a) see the ring b) say congrats c) try to take 2498713948 photos of the ring try to get a good shot of it (note to self: diamonds + photographing = HARDER THAN IT LOOKS)

These were a few of my end results:

I like this one :)

The top of the ring

The side with the cute side diamonds!

So yes..that's the exciting news in the world of engagements 'round these parts! I'm oh so looking forward to the wedding of my lovelies! It's going to be such a perfect day..I just know it! And I'm also excited because it means that I get to hang out and partay (like it's 1999) with my second family..YAY!

So all in all..some pretty exciting times around here! :)