Old MacDonald had a Farm...

Last week, I had the most wonderful time outside on a cold day in La Crete.

I know, it sounds crazy, right? Well I spent the afternoon visiting La Crete's Farm Family of the Year.

They live just outside of La Crete on a beautiful piece of land, where Mr. Farmer grew up. Mr. Farmer’s Dad used to be a wheat farmer, with a few cattle, but when Mr. Farmer and his wife bought the farm, they turned it into a cattle farm.

But not just cattle, as if 370 wasn’t enough. They have 6 horses, a rabbit, 15 cats, 3 dogs, chickens, ducks, and in the summer they also have goats, pigs and sheet. For the kids, says Mr. Farmer. Because apparently the kids don’t have enough animals to play with!

Mr. Farmer also said he was expecting over 100 more calves in the next few weeks. He said last year his record was 20 calves in one day. Absolute craziness!

Back home, it’s dairy farms galore, so this cattle farming and wheat farming stuff was all new to me.

Mr. and Mrs. Farmer, and their lovely daughter and son took me on an entire tour of their farm, inside and out. Their daughter even showed me her rabbit.

It was a really welcoming place and I loved spending the afternoon there, even with having so many articles on the go and so much to do at the office. It was nice to just spend the afternoon on a farm and decompress.

Mr. and Mrs. Farmer, who had just met me, referred to me as Auntie to their kids, probably just so they would know I was a friend and someone they could trust going through their barns and house. It was nice, though, to feel like a piece of someone’s family out here. I feel like people do that a lot here, call friends Auntie to their kids, and I really like it.

I'm leaving on a jet plane...

...and I really hope I'll make it back again!

Chris and I have decided to go to Ecuador, his home country, in April. And if you're anyone who knows me, you know I'm very excited but also very nervous.

To say I have a "fear" of flying would be an understatement. I don't know very many people who need a tranquilizer to give them the courage to get on an airplace. No one except for me.

The first time I flew, which was to Florida with my Mom, Dad, and brother Dylan when I was 17, was an absolute disaster. The trip was amazing, but the way there and back...I would have traded anything not to get on that plane. I remember at one point telling my parents to go without me... to go to Florida and have fun on Daytona Beach, Disney World, Universal Studios, Daytona Races, etc. without me. I fainted about 11 times and had consumed 8 gravol and one glass of wine. It was awful.

So the next time I flew, to Thunderbay when I was 18, my doctor perscribed me this wonderous pill, to which I have named my "plane drugs". A tiny white pill makes everything a little more loopy, a little more happy and a little more fun. Some require liquid courage, I require powder. Legal powder. My wonderful plane pills!

So the other day I called my Ontario doctor to get more, because I only have two left and lets get real here, Ecuador is a million miles away. I mean, if it's not a million, it's got to be pretty close.

We fly from Grande Prairie to Calgary, Calgary to LA, LA to San Jose Juan Santamaria (Costa Rica), Coasta Rica to Guayaquil, Ecuador. We leave April 19th at 4:20 PM and arrive on April 20th at 3:00PM. That's over 24 hours of flights with four flight changes. If I survive, it will be a miracle.

I am really excited to go to Ecuador, though. Regardless of the fact that I won't be able to communicate with anyone except for Christofer. Chris has me totally freaked out about all the weird foods there that are going to make me sick, and the bad water and how I am going to stick out like a sore thumb. Which is why when he told me to try to "blend in" I proceeded to go out and find the biggest sunhat I could find. It screams tourist. I love it.

We plan to stay with his aunt, who lives in Guayaquil (you know, just a city I can hardly pronounce) and will visit his mom and grandma once or twice. They live in the country.

My birthday is April 21st, so somehow, I managed to squeeze myself on to another Spanish beach for my birthday. Last year, my parents took my brother and I to the Dominican in the spring, which also landed on my birthday. I told Chris I don't care what we do down there, as long as I am on a sand beach for my birthday! :)

We will also be celebrating one and a half years together while we're there, so we'll likely go to one of his favourite restaurants. He keeps talking about this boat/ship cruise that goes along the harbour, a party boat, so we might go on that for a night of dancing.

...If I don't get off the plane in Calgary and give up, that is.

Mean

A song that I just can't get out of my head, that makes me think of all the people along the way (and in my life currently) that have NOT helped me get to where I am now. Or, if those people you may not really even know, but you know they're just not very nice. Mean. No grudges, it's just a great 'angry' song. Makes me think of one person in particular...

Taylor Swift -- Mean

You, with your words like knives and swords and weapons that you use against me
You have knocked me off my feet again got me feeling like I'm nothing
You, with your voice like nails on a chalkboard, calling me out when I'm wounded
You, pickin' on the weaker man

Well, you can take me down with just one single blow
But you don't know what you don't know

Someday I'll be living in a big old city
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
And all you're ever gonna be is mean

Why you gotta be so mean?

You, with your switching sides and your walk-by lies and your humiliation
You, have pointed out my flaws again as if I don't already see them
I'll walk with my head down trying to block you out 'cause I'll never impress you
I just wanna feel okay again

I'll bet you got pushed around, somebody made you cold
But the cycle ends right now 'cause you can't lead me down that road
And you don't know what you don't know

Someday I'll be living in a big old city
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
And all you're ever gonna be is mean

Why you gotta be so mean?

And I can see you years from now in a bar, talking over a football game
With that same big loud opinion but nobody's listening
Washed up and ranting about the same old bitter things
Drunk and grumbling on about how I can't Write

But all you are is mean
All you are is mean and a liar and pathetic and alone in life
And mean, and mean, and mean, and mean

But someday I'll be living in a big old city
And all you're ever gonna be is mean, yeah
Someday, I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
And all you're ever gonna be is mean

Why you gotta be so mean?

Someday, I'll be, living in a big old city
(Why you gotta be so mean?)
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
(Why you gotta be so mean?)
Someday, I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
(Why you gotta be so mean?)
And all you're ever gonna be is mean

Why you gotta be so mean?