My daughter celebrated her 13th birthday this week. She’s now officially a teenager.
Ugh.
I knew this day would come eventually. To me, this is almost as big a deal as it’s going to be when I turn 40 later this year.
UGH.
I guess it’s just one more sign that I’m getting old…and that, quite frankly, sucks. I’m not ready to turn 40 yet. I’m not ready to mature yet. I’m not ready to worry about the clothes my daughter will wear out in public because they show off too much skin. I’m not ready to tell her that she can’t litter her body with tattoos until she’s 18 and it’s out of my control.
On the other hand, I’m really looking forward to watching my little girl mature. Teenage years seem to rush on by so fast…she’ll be off to university before you know it.
On the other hand, I still want my little girl to remain a little girl.
Sigh.
So happy birthday, Rugrat. Even though we’re not as close as we’d like to be and we don’t talk as often as we’d like, we both know that we love each other…and when looking at life’s simple pleasures, that’s one of the greatest gifts that we share.
Last year, Sunshine came up with a dual blog-post idea for the two of us. Here is the idea…
We each outline 10 things that we want to accomplish in the next year as a couple.
Share our lists via our blogs.
Get out there and make each other’s dreams come true!
So without comparing notes of any kind (her post can be found here), here is my list of things (in no particular order ) that I would love to do with Sunshine in 2012:
1. Go to Maine to visit Jobo. We’ve been blogger friends with Jobo for awhile now and us visiting her almost took place last fall. Well, the wheels are in motion and we’re going to see if we can really make this happen in 2012. Sunshine and I deserve a vacation, and what better way to relax than to meet a blogger friend in the beautiful state of Maine? Hopefully we can make this actually take place.
2. Enjoy the Saint John waterfront in the summertime. The last time Sunshine and I visited Saint John we were attacked by a fog monster. I know that the waterfront there, while not as awesome as Halifax, is supposed to be quite excellent in and of itself. I’d like to experience that.
3. Attend Farmer’s Markets in both Saint John and Fredericton. Sunshine and I love going to farmers’ markets. While we have a special place in our hearts for the market in Halifax, we really loved our last visit to the market in Saint John and can’t wait to go back to visit again. And where we both lived in Fredericton back in the 90′s (just down the street from each other, no less!), we would both love to go back and see what their farmer’s market has to offer.
4. Do a half-marathon together. Now I’m not going to be able to run a half-marathon like Sunshine did back in October, but I have an exercise goal of walking a half marathon at some point during the year. And she has already told me that she’d love to walk it with me, so that’s definitely something I want to accomplish in 2012. For me, the guy who NEVER exercised his entire life and wondered how he suddenly got overweight once he stopped smoking and entered his mid-30′s, actually walking a half-marathon will have a lot of meaning…knowing that I’m finally taking control of my life in a healthy way so that I can live to see my children grow old.
5. Attend a live play or a musical. We could have said that we did this while on the cruise ship last March, but realistically speaking…the entertainment was too cheesy to count as a REAL play or musical. I’m a huge fan of live theatre and it’s been way too long since I last saw something. I don’t think Sunshine is much of a fan, but I’m hoping we can watch something at some point during the year because there always seems to be something going on in her city to watch.
6. Attend a concert together. Again…we could have cheated last year and considered the entertainment on the cruise ship as “a concert”, but it REALLY wasn’t. Obviously, it’ll be tough to try to match-up our schedules with a concert that we both want to see…but after missing out on such diverse acts as Prince and Platinum Blonde over the past couple of months, I’m really eager to see a concert with her in 2012.
7. Go to at least 5 restaurants that we have never been to before. We easily accomplished this last year and, quite honestly, I can’t wait to do it all over again. It’s one of those “small things in life” that we experience together and enjoy a lot.
8. Go to a strip club. Funny enough, this one might be the first one to be crossed off of the list. I think the conversation started last fall when I noticed a lot of signage around her city for a particular adult entertainment establishment (the only one in the city, actually). She casually mentioned that she wouldn’t mind going to the establishment with me at some point, which made me a VERY happy camper who was even more impressed at just how awesome his girlfriend was. And after reading a certain person’s own list recently, Sunshine got the idea to casually suggest it as an option of “something to do” this upcoming Friday night. Ummm…hell yeah I jumped at that idea!!
And for those who would like to “live vicariously” through this unusual dating experience, I shall be Tweeting from the adult entertainment establishment on Twitter: @CanadianBaldGuy
9. Go to a GOOD drive-in movie. We actually got to see a couple of movies one night at a drive-in during the summer, but the only problems were (1) the movies weren’t any good and (2) the theatre was about two hours away from Sunshine’s house…meaning it was around 2am by the time we got home and we were DEAD tired. There is a drive-in only 30 minutes away from my house, so hopefully we can schedule something over the summer.
10. My mystery pick. I think Sunshine has an idea of what this could be. I think long-time readers of this blog have an idea of what this could be. At some point…at some time…something is going to happen this year. That’s all I’m willing to say at this point. I guess it’s all the more reason to stay tuned!
Well…the holidays are over and I’m back to work. From top to bottom, it was one heckuva great time to be with Sunshine and our kids. The kids had fun, my dad enjoyed having us over to visit, and both Sunshine and I felt as ooey-gooey in love as we ever have.
So without further adu, here is how my Christmas holiday looked like thru pictures…
Because of timing issues, I wasn't able to have my son for Christmas Day. However, I did have him on the 23rd...so we went to my dad's to have our own "Christmas Before Christmas". Ankle Biter opened up a bunch of gifts and we all ended up having a great time.
On Christmas Eve I head out first thing in the morning to be with Sunshine and her girls for Christmas. The weather didn't quite co-operate. Well...it's wasn't a huge storm or anything, but just enough snow fell to make the highways slow-driving on one lane without the ability to pass. It just sucked. Hard.
Yes...this is lasagna. Yes...this is what we had Christmas Eve for dinner. And yes...this was freakin' awesome!!
Enjoying Christmas Eve dinner.
This is what the tree looked like when we went to bed just before midnight. Not too shabby!
The first gifts were opened at 5:21am. If it were up to the girls, they would have been opened a good 45 minutes earlier. To say that they were excited would be an understatement.
So once the girls opened their gifts and we all had breakfast, they ended up going to their dad’s for the remainder of Christmas Day. Sunshine and I head out to visit my dad for Christmas dinner.
The next two days were spent in my bedroom. Literally. We watched movies, ate breakfast/lunch/dinner, and did “other things” in my bedroom for 48 hours. It was pure bliss. And really, it was something that the two of us needed…some downtime.
And no…there are no pictures of these two days.
After a couple more days returning to work, I drove to pick up Sunshine and her girls and brought them back to my dad’s for New Year’s Eve. I then drove to pick up Ankle Biter and brought him back, too. Finally…we were all in the same place at the same time (with the exception of my daughter, who was unable to make it down for Christmas this year).
So here are our New Years’ pics…
One of the gifts that all three kids got was a sock monkey. The fun part was that you bought a kit and put it together yourself. The not-so-fun part was that you ended up sewing the monkeys together yourself. In this pic, Ankle Biter was beginning to stuff the monkey's legs.
The kids LOVED their sock monkeys. There must be some kind of extra connection they have because they help to put it together themselves.
Kiddo was quite excited to be the first one with a "completed" monkey.
Sunshine couldn't have been happier to be sewing on New Year's Eve. Yeah...believe that one.
Being the hardcore partiers that we are, New Year's Eve for us was spent drinking a bit (two beer for me, a couple of glasses of wine for Sunshine) and playing Blokus. We literally had to force ourselves to stay awake in order to hit midnight. Thankfully, though, playing until midnight allowed me to win 2 out of 3 games. Not that I'm counting or anything. Heh...
Nothing says "New Year's Breakfast" like cereal and water. But hey...does he look unhappy in any way?
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....
On New Year’s Day, we visited some more of my family and then came back to my place to crash for one more night. In the morning, I took Ankle Biter back to his mom’s and I took the girls back home to their dad’s. Thankfully, we got one more picture of the kids together before we left for the kids’ journeys home…
Happy New Year 2012!!
Sunshine and I then kinda melted onto the couch exhausted for the remainder of the day.
All in all, it was a GREAT time. It was a LOT of traveling, but it was totally worth it.
As the anniversary for Sunshine & I has come and gone, I’ve been doing a lot of reflection. I’ve been looking back on this incredible journey that we have shared for over three years now and have thought about just how we have gotten to this point.
We’re absolutely head-over-heels in love…we’re soul mates…there’s no denying that. But it’s been such an incredible few years in terms of personal and emotional growth that it’s hard to believe three years have gone by.
So while I should have probably re-posted this back on the actual date of our anniversary, I thought today would be as good a day as any to re-post the details of our first date…especially as it followed another amazing weekend together with Sunshine. I wrote this on a different blog back in 2008 (before “CBG” was created and when I was calling Sunshine by the name “K”) and it, for better or for worse (and including vlogs by yours truly), is pretty much an EXTREMELY DETAILED rundown of our first-ever date.
It was a day that I’ll never forget and I still think about it often. So here it is, The First Date…..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DECEMBER 6th, 2008
We had decided that to make things as “normal” as possible and not overly awkward, I would just drive up for the day and leave after dinner in the evening. We had been talking for a couple of weeks online and were really nervous about whether or not our online chemistry would carry-over into “real life”. There had definitely been a connection online and I really was digging her, but she had some reservations. The “Saturday Day Date” was supposed to be the big test.
I didn’t hit the road as early as I would have liked, but still not too shabby…
I would be "A". She would be "B".
I was just pulling up to the half-way point of my journey…a toll booth on the Cobequid Pass when my cellphone rang. This first thing out of her mouth?
“You know you really shouldn’t be answering the phone while you’re driving.”
Heh.
I asked her to hold just a second as I paid my toll and pulled into a parking lot. A few minutes later, I was back off and running with a huge silly grin on my face…really anticipating the meeting that was less than two hours away.
I then decided to make another video after one more “pit stop” on the way there…
As I pulled into Dartmouth, I felt the need to make a quick pit stop before going across the MacDonald Bridge into downtown Halifax. So I pulled into the Ultramar on the corner of Victoria and Woodland Avenue. I came out, pulled back onto Woodland, and turned left on Victoria when the lights turned green.
My heart sunk. My stomach flipped. I immediately panicked.
My right front was pulling to the right and I couldn’t steer. OMG!!! I immediately pulled over, threw the 4-way hazard lights on, and got out to see the damage.
FLAT AS A PANCAKE.
Are you kidding me??? Did I not have this exact same thing happen to me just a few short months ago?? I popped the trunk and began getting the spare prepared. A lady in the house I was parked in front of yelled at me to move because she was about to leave. Ugh. So I pulled across the street into a parking lot and surveyed the damage. It was a nail. A long nail.
Oh dear lord…not today. Not today of all days.
So I raised the car and started working over the lugnuts. I couldn’t get them off. In fact, I was straining so much the car came off the jack (don’t know my own strength, I suppose…lol). I was getting frustrated because at this time it was already 9:15am and I was supposed to be meeting Sunshine.
AHHH!!
Luckily, a pleasant passer-by named Tony and his dog Roy stopped by and offered assistance. He asked if I had stood on the bar in an attempt to move the lugnuts.
“Why no…I hadn’t thought of that.”
Needless to say, he helped me get the lugnuts off and jack up the car. Once I made the switch and thanked him for being a good person, I stood back to survey the damage.
At this point it was after 9:30am, and with Sunshine not having a cell phone and us not having made any plans in case something had happened…I was starting to panic.
So I threw everything into the trunk and rushed off to the Halifax Farmer’s Market. Once I parked and made my way to the building, I was nervous and anxious and going crazy because it was now almost 10am and she was going to be waiting outside for me at 9:00am.
After running around for 10 minutes and immediately sensing how huge this building was, I stopped and thought for a minute. She said that she sometimes liked to eat Chinese food for breakfast at the market (which is something I’ll make a regular occurence, too, when I go back with her), so I found the Chinese food kiosk next to one of the entrances and stood there; hoping that she’d pop up.
At 10 o’clock, my cell phone rang. I answered with, “I’M HERE!!” Once she found me I gave her a HUGE hug and immediately showed her my grease-covered hands. I tried explaining the story and then she laughed…
Wait….what?
She thought it was amusing. I mean seriously…out of all the days to have this happen, TODAY was the day. Heh.
The market was awesome. The tour of the market was awesome. The smells and the sights and the sounds of the market were awesome. The crowd? Not so awesome. Long story VERY short, the market was awesome and I’m definitely looking forward to going back with her.
At around 12pm, we decided to stop by her house really quick so she could drop off her purchases (veggies…meat…) and we could be off again. When she went inside…
And yes…I ended the video with, “Cool beans”. I NEVER say that phrase. Ugh.
Anyway, so we drove to Canadian Tire and picked up some tire plug stuff. LOTS of stuff I could go into at this point, but I’m trying to condense as much as possible. Let’s just say that in spite of the situation, we were absolutely making the most of our time together…laughing, talking, and just enjoying each other’s company.
There’s something to be said about making out in a store parking lot. Just sayin’.
Anyway…we pulled into a gas station and when trying to fix the hole with the plug, realized that the hole was on the SIDE of the tire, not the bottom.
OMG…that can’t be fixed.
OMG…I can’t drive all the way back to Moncton on a donut for three hours on the highway.
OMG…do I have any money in the bank for a tire?
OMG…where in the blue hell am I going to find a tire place in Halifax?
Wait…that last part should be easy. It’s Halifax, Nova Scotia for cryin’ out loud.
I went inside the gas station we were parked at, wrote down a bunch of places out of the Yellow Pages, and immediately thought that the Tire Shack would be the best choice for a cheap, used tire (hey…it’s a shack that houses tires…how much simpler can it get??). It was on Prospect Road.
“Hmmm…uhhh, Sunshine? Do you know where that is?”
“I think so, yeah.”
And off we went.
She was 100% correct about the direction. We both just didn’t realize that we’d have to drive half-way to Peggy’s Cove in order to actually find the Tire Shack location. And no…I’m not kidding. Point “A” is where we started at the Canadian Tire…Point “B” is where the Tire Shack was.
It took us (seemingly) forever to find this place. We pulled in and I walk into the office. I explained my situation to the lady and that I was just looking for ANYTHING to put on my car for the trip back to Moncton.
“Well, we closed last February but ask the owner and see what he can do for you.”
Wait……………………………………..what?
Yeah…they were actually closed. Had been since February. OMFG.
I nervously smiled at Sunshine sitting in the car as I went from the office to the garage area, where the owner appeared to be helping out a friend’s vehicle or something. I explained things and he felt sorry for me (at least I think he did). He said that he didn’t know for sure, but would go out back and check.
He came back with a brand-new all-season tire. Uh-oh…NOT what I had in mind. He said that it retailed for $99 but considering the situation and that he wasn’t actually open or even IN BUSINESS, he’d give me a deal. So he said $88 for the tire, installation, and balancing. Not a bad deal, right?
Oh…did I forget to mention that he was closed? Because if I had mentioned that, it would have become apparent that he had no debit machine and could only take cash.
Ummm…
I had $50 in my pocket. $56.45, to be exact. I sheepishly went to the car and explained the situation to Sunshine. She was doing her best to contain her laughter at the whole story. Then I asked her how much cash she had on her.
Yes…on a first date I was bumming money from my date. “Cads-R-Us” alert!!
Pooled together, we had $84 in cash. BAH! So we were told that there was a bank machine back a little bit at the Irving we passed on the way there. We’ll be right back.
The f*cking gas station felt like it was an hour away. So I go in and grab $100 out of the machine…still chuckling at the fact I actually ASKED SUNSHINE FOR CASH. Wow.
We got back to the closed Tire Shack at 1:30pm. Upon further inspection, the “tire guy” realized that I had studded winter tires and would have to rotate the back one with the new front one to make sure I wasn’t all messed up. Because he didn’t notice it before, he wouldn’t charge me any extra.
We finally got finished at 2pm…just as we had hoped. I wish I could really explain how amazing Sunshine was during this entire time…but I can’t. Let’s just say that this particular part of the day was one that we both will remember forever and smile (it included cheesy 80s music, a dancing lady, pretending to be married, and LOTS of stolen kisses).
I gave the guy the entire $100 for being so awesome and we were back on the road and off to the Museum of Natural History!
Sunshine had passes to the museum so it was the least expensive part of our entire day. I shouldn’t really laugh at that part, but looking back it’s pretty funny.
So after the museum, I forced her to pick a restaurant for us (and I can’t remember the name of the restaurant, which sucks because it was amazing). We got there at 3:30pm and the front door was locked.
WTF is it now?!?!?!?
It opened at 4pm. We looked at our watches…3:30pm. Dang it. Let’s walk around for a bit. So we went into Sweet Janes on Doyle Street. Wow. It was part candy store, part San Fransisco Gifts store, part sex shop (lol). Half awesome, half creepy.
There were toys for tots (kazoos!), toys for adults (candy-thongs!!), and toys for the odd (a Jesus action figure and bobble-head doll….seriously). Oh…and there was a TON of candy, too. Honestly…this was almost as much fun as anything else we did that day.
So after learning of her sock-fetish (which will come in handy to know come Christmastime), we made our way back to the restaurant for supper. Two hours later, we realized that the date had to come to an end (and no, Sunshine…I didn’t RUSH you through your coffee…lol).
After saying our goodbyes, I drove through until Stewiake (that “elephant” I mention is actually Mastadon Ridge) and making a pit stop…
So to summarize? I wish I could. In spite of EVERYTHING that could have possibly gone wrong, I had one of the best days I’ve ever had.
Honestly…this totally ended up being the greatest first date I could have ever asked for. Sunshine is an absolutely amazing woman and I can’t tell you the relief I feel knowing the connection we have isn’t limited to “online only”. Regardless of where this ends up, it’s gonna be a fun ride.
It’s been three years since the love of my life…my soul mate…came into my life. I wish I had the words to adequately explain just how much this woman means to me. All I know is that she saved me. She STILL saves me on a daily basis. She is the woman I plan on spending the rest of my life with. Period. The end.
Sunshine, I love you more than I can ever express into words…so instead I figured that I’d show you in pictures.
So without further adu, here are some of my favorite pictures from three years of absolute happiness, joy, and undying love.
For better or worse, this is our first picture together!
I'm trying to drive!!
Who da man? I'M DA MAN!!
2nd best red light ever (gotta love inside jokes)
Trying to look all serious 'n' stuff
Best Canada Day Ever
KISS concert!!
Shubie Park, 2009
08-01-09: all smiles and smugness
Our first sunrise
We're on a boat!!
She's really more impressed than she lets on
The animal magnetism is scary wild between us. Check it!!
Citadel Hill, Halifax, Nova Scotia
I'm dating a movie star
What...don't we look like we're a happy couple in love?
Awww...now THIS is more like it!
Lost in the woods while on a walk. Seriously.
Don't act like you're not impressed
The giant lobster in Shediac, New Brunswick
I fell in love with her all over again on this day
Hopewell Rocks, New Brunswick
Murphys On The Water -- Halifax Waterfront
Enjoying some ice cream with three of my favorite girls
Oh yeah...she's all mine, fellas!!
And just think...this was probably our fifth time trying to take this picture.
Nope...nothing in your teeth. How about mine?
Oh yeah...we clean up good.
Tanned and pretty (I couldn't think of anything better to say)
Being crazy and "enjoying" Hurricane Earl!
Sometimes I just look into her gorgeous blue eyes and I melt.
It's all about being photogenic, kids.
Cabot Trail, Nova Scotia
Oh Meat Cove, Nova Scotia...how we miss you.
Hey lookie behind us...it's a road!
The almost complete family portrait (part one)
The almost complete family portrait (part two)
I have NO idea where that smell came from.
First class in an airplane, baby!!
We're in Miami. I said MIAMI, PEOPLE!!
Nothing says "love" like being locked up in the Bahamas.
"Welcome to Paradise" in the US Virgin Islands
Our reaction after realizing that we were playing miniature golf on top of a cruise ship in the Caribbean. I mean...c'mon, people. How awesome is that???
Enjoying the sunrise in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Lookit this woman...she's SMOKIN' HOT. And she's all mine!!
On a beach in Grand Turk.
What can I say? She's into the kinky stuff sometimes.
Check out her new rims!! I love 'em!!
Enjoying "The Lookoff" while in the Annapolis Valley
I don't normally drink, but when I do it's only with her.
Natural beauty & the beast. But if you call her a beast, I'll be VERY upset. (#JOKES!!)
In Kejimkujik park just moments before coming up with the greatest idea ever.
La-Haaaaave!!
She took me ziplining on my 39th birthday. Heck yeah, she's awesome!
Enjoying apple picking in the Annapolis Valley with our brood running around behind us.
Confederation Bridge en route to Prince Edward Island
Even with a ridiculous-looking moustache, she still loves me.
At the end of the day, Sunshine is simply the most incredible woman I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. To know that this beautiful person (both inside and out) actually loves me is a blessing.
She’s my rock. She’s my better half. She completes me. She is my everything.
Happy anniversary, baby. It’s been three years of the most amazing journey I’ve ever been on. I cannot wait to see where our loves takes us next.
