Saying thanks

You know when you are working on something on your computer and something interrupts you, a phone call, dinner, whatever, but you leave the computer for a bit and then come back and your screen saver is on? Well, like many people my screen saver scans through my pictures. Usually I get back to my desk, tap the mouse and start working on whatever again. But this evening, after grabbing something out of the oven and serving up some dinner, I stopped for a minute. The picture, it was a picture of me, with 3 of my favourite people. I'm not going to say who. But the photo made me stop. I stopped to watch some of the photos scan past. I have to say, I may be one of the luckiest people in the world. I mean, not that I need photos to tell me this. I know this. But sometimes a little reminder is helpful.

The oldest photo on my computer is from Christmas 2000. It's me, with 3 of my favourite people - Mom, Dad and Robin. It's our usual Christmas photo, post-church, in front of the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. I have 10 others like it on my computer (there isn't one from Christmas 2 years ago). There are also 17 others like it in boxes in Mom and Dad's basement. But that one makes me smile. It was a big year. My last year living at home. It marked, in many ways, my last year as an official kid.

As the pictures go by, there are many of my pets - Peggy and Emmy, Ginny, Smokey and Boots. There are my cousins - from when some of them were little to others getting married. There are my friends - my UVic ladies - when we were 20 and now that we aren't 20. There is law school, nights out celebrating whatever we decided needed celebrating that night, even if we were just celebrating another Thursday. Ottawa. Oh Ottawa. My friends back home and their weddings and babies. And now out on the coast where many of those friends from the past are again part of my everyday life.

And obviously, there are many of the pictures that you all are used to seeing on here. My travels. From Australia to Zambia. I have pictures on 6 continents. With new friends and old friends. Andre, Johann and Deiter. Sometimes when the photos scan past, it takes me a moment to identify where a particular one was taken. But don't worry, I can always figure it out.

I'm so lucky. I have an amazing life and amazing people to share it with. I have been so lucky to have such great adventures. The adventures away and the adventures at home.

The most recent picture on my computer, it's a picture of me and Mom and Dad at the top of the Chief a few weeks ago when they were out visiting. It's a beautiful setting and we all look very happy to have made it up to that wonderful place. Unfortunately the guy who took the photo, he didn't frame it very well (he cut us off at the knees), but it is still a great photo, because of what it reminds me of when it scans by. Beautiful places with people I love.

As some of you have heard, and some of you have guessed, I will be writing about an adventure again in the not to distant future. My goal for a long while has been to travel to 7 continents before I am 30. I had kinda given up as 30 has been approaching quickly and I seem to have stalled out at 6 continents awhile ago (4 and a half years ago if I can calculate properly). But, come January, with a month to spare, I will be off on an adventure to the seventh continent. I am off to see the big penguins and to step foot on Antarctica. I am super excited, but until that time, I'm going to try to let the pictures scan by a few more times and take in again what a great life I have.

Much love to you all.