Guess who's baaaaaaaack????

Hey, I'm back. Been back since September 20th actually. Seriously, I meant to stop here and say something, but then I kept telling myself <Just finish writing your journal, so you can make your travelblog>  I'm almost done.

It's been busy since I came back, I was done enough to not book an extra day vacation between my evening return to the country and the next morning back to work. Yep, less than 12 hours back and I was at work. That was brutal. It took me several days to go over the jetlag, it really hit me. Then I had to finish unpacking and putting the house back in order, all of it while working. Then I started working on my pictures and souvenirs. I made a scrapbook and almost completed all my photo albums on facebook. It's a lot of work, and I've made the mistake to start playing Dragon Age 2, so I'm completely addicted and my life is passing me by while I play. I'll rectify that.

I shall be able to start posting my trip review soon, finishing up a couple details, and I'll even put a couple pictures.

Until then!

So say we all!

Riiiight. My resolutions of updating this place more didn't really work out now did it? To be honest, I have been starting posts pretty much every week, but never got to finish them or got delayed so much that I lost my train of thoughts. (But to be fair, no one is anxiously waiting to to read what I have to say hehe)

Work has been somewhat busy. There is always something to do, or rather, there is always something that I am working on. Even very quiet days turn into busy days for me, especially while making lists or making sure I thought of everything for my trip. Planning a trip is exhausting and you'd think I wouldn't have that much to do since I've been buying stuff and making lists since January. Well, I do. But right now it's mainly last minute stuff that I still have to take care of. I even packed my suitcase, twice this weekend. I know I'll empty it and re-verify it once, at least, before departure, but still, I think I'm ready.

Ok, I have been babbling about this trip since December, I can't wait and I'm ready, but it's a whole other story to realize there is less than a week to go. I'm leaving Sunday Morning... I've lost the excitement and the jumping around factor, I switched to panic mode. I think about it being so close and my heart starts pounding, my breathing accelerates and I sometimes gets dizzy, not to mention sick to my stomach. I'm not sure why. I assume it's good anxiety, as I'm not scared and this is a lifetime dream, but still, part of me whishes I could get back to the happy state I was in a couple weeks ago.

It'll be ok, I got it all figured out. I got my transport shuttle picking me up at home Sunday (I caved, it's vacation, let's spend money, I didn't work all that OT all summer just for kicks), then I'll be super early to the airport, check-in, security, then chilling (Having a beer or 5, I'll pretend I'm on Greece time already) then it's a direct flight. No hassle or worries there, 1 plane, 2 meals, lots of booze, I got all my "comfort kit", I'm getting one on the plane, it's a big-ass plane, and I have my Kindle/Ipod/Dvd player to keep me busy. And I have to sleep (that's where the booze will be helpful) since it's technically an overnight flight if you count the time change. Luckily, I have never been afraid to fly. I'm certainly not a big fan of turbulence (I remember a bad Florida flight) or flying overnight, (It's kinda creepy and the lights on the plane confuse me that there's a storm outside) but overall I'm fine. I'm more scared of crossing a street with no pedestrian sign than flying. (I know I got issues, sue me :P)

I have organized a meeting with the people from my trip I've ben in touch with online, so we all get to meet before the official meeting that evening. We'll be spending most of the day together, walking around, having a drink, letting the feeling that "we're finally here, we're in Greece" feeling truly sink in. So I don't even have to worry about walking in a room full of strangers by myself, I'll have new friends with me. But, as I've mentioned before, when in unknown territory and by myself, this new confident Milou comes out and leaves the shy Marilou at home. I'll probably be going around the room introducing myself and making new friends before long. I have this image of me walking around right beside our guide/Tour Manager everyday, asking questions and trying to help and keeping people in line. So very me. But it won't happen, I'll probably be asking questions and participating all the time, can't repress my personnality that much, but I want to feel on vacation, so I'm there to have fun, make new friends and take it all in. Greece, it's hard to believe....

I should also mention I know for a fact I will be crying during this trip. And I don't mean a drunken cry, no drama and no homesickeness either lol. I mean, when I truly realize I made it, probably when I get off the plane or the airport (probably when I see my name on a sign at the airport) or after I've checked in the hotel and set foot outside on my own and take a good look around me. Maybe even still while flying, before landing and looking down to see this very ancient, yet still new to me landscape, the one I've been studying and dreaming of for as long as I can remember. I have to see it all, do it all and bring back with me as many memories and pictures and souvenirs as possible. This trip has to last me a lifetime. And I'm sure it will.

Alright, back to doing research (and work), I'll try to come and vent more about my stress later on this week.

So say we all!

25 is here!!!

Yes, indeed, 25 days to go until my trip. I know most of my friends and family are just DYING for me to go and come back so that I can finally stop talking about it. I know I'm annoying, but I'm just SO excited.

And to top it off, yesterday I received my package with all my trip info. All the vouchers for the hotels, plane tickets, everything in a nice little document holder thingy, that will be very useful. Gotta admit, I screamed when I got it. They actually dropped it in my mailbox, Rick found it when he went for a smoke and luckily, I was working from home yesterday. He waited for me to be between calls and just casually put it on my desk!  I jumped up (ouch! my back) and screeched. I was so anxious to open it, it took almost an hour until I had time to start going through all the stuff. Stupid busy mondays at work haha.

Like I've said before, I think I'm ready. All the stuff I wanted/needed has all been taking care of. I even ordered 2 extra batteries and memory cards for my camcorder off of Ebay, just in case I should need more. I need several to sustain my camcorder/camera and also the party camera at night. If I'm only going to go to Greece once in my life, hell I want to remember it all. I'll try not to spend the whole trip looking through my camera, but with the camcorder, it'll be easy to do both :)

My life has pretty muchc been revolving around my trip lately. Shopping and organizing, going on a new diet to lose the couple pounds I wanted to (6 so far, 2 to go), that's pretty much my routine, plus the talking to new friends onlien that will share my experiences on my trip. Of course there is still the regular stuff as well, cleaning/cooking and all, a couple movies here and there, an I am having a Battlestar Galactica marathon, when I have time, I'm at Season 3 now. God I love that show!

Speaking of movies!!! The Glee movie comes out this Friday!!! Wooooohooooooooo! I'm so excited! I'll go watch it next Friday, as I took a vacation day for my bday (can't stand to work on that day, people can be so annoying in the office, pranks and balloons and stuff, no thanks!) so it's the perfect bday gift for me!

I'll have 2 egg chicken please!!!

You're probably wondering, what the.... Haha! That's another proof of how dub I am sometimes, or how tired I have been this week.  I was at Timmies, and I was waiting to order some egg salad wraps, and on the menu it says Wraps: Egg/chicken salad.... So, yeah, when I was up there, I proudly announced that I wanted Egg Chickens.... Fun times!!

Alright, today is THE day. It's a month before my trip... I'll be at the airport at this exact time in 30 days....

It's weird, because I am getting nervous already. I so want to make sure I am ready and have everything I need. I'm getting lots of Euros (as soon as I have enough money I go change it, rolling my change and all) I have a brand-new credit card, I have new clothes, getting contacts and sunglasses, got my shots (still got the bruises to prove it) my hotel and transport is paid for, bought bags and bags of useless and usefull travel stuff from the Dollar store, ordered more on Ebay, airfare was paid for with my trip.... Like I even photocopied my passport and left a copy with my boss, with Rick and a couple to keep with me... I prepare, a lot and in advance lol. It helps me not to go crazy counting down the days, it keeps me busy.

I have been trying to update here all week. I had tons of things to talk about. So, of course, now I can't remember any of it. It has been super busy at work, vacation time so it's reduced staff and we are swamped with calls, French staff is down too, most days it's just me and someone else, as opposed to our usual 4, so it's hard. But I'd rather be busy than have nothing to do, so I'm not really complaining. I'm just tired. I've been working a bit too much overtime in the past couple weeks, but once again, it's all for the trip, making sure I can spend as much as I want to.... :)

Alright, back to work, I'll try to update again before next week.

7 months and still going strong.

wow!

I should be ashamed. Ashamed I say. I have left this little place go lonely for so long. I really need to get better at this, and I will do my best.

Alright, the usual update, On Thursday, it will be 7 months exactly since I quit smoking. I haven't craved, or cheated, or anything like that. I am done, happy about and have no regrets or hesitations at all.

As for the big trip, 33 days left until departure. Ain't that totally awesome? It is. It's hard to believe since it feels like yesterday that I had like 235 days or something. Now I feel like I am going to run out of time. I shoul receive all my info and my plane tickets within the next 10 days or so.

Everything is paid for, including the hotel for my 3 days by myself after the tour, transport to and from the airport in Athens, and an optional Hop-on hop-off tour. Rick will by picking me up at the airport when I come back, and I'm still trying to figure out how to get to the airport. I dont want to impose on Rick by asking him to drive me there, I don't really want to pay 90$ for Airways transit and I don't want to take the public transport.. It'll take over 2 1/2 hours and I will have to carry my big suitcase and bags and transfer twice.... Although it'll be under 15$..... Still pondering on that one...

Sad note is that there were major changes to my itin a couple months back. The cruise company cancelled, you guessed it, my days in Israel and Egypt. I was pretty bummed at first, but they totally made it up to us. They added 3 new destinations, Santorini (!!!) Izmir and Kasudasi (The Epheseus!!!!) And if that didn't made me happy enough (which it does) they knocked off 100$ off the prize of the cruise, added a 50$ voucher on the ship and even added a couple of optional tour/activities for free. That was pretty kool!

On a happy note: I started to find some friends online. Ok, that sounded lame. I mean that I found some tourmates online, we even have a Facebook page now. (Yes, that makes us badass :P) I found 3 other people that are on the exact same trip as I am, and a bunch of other people for the first part of my trip, which is completely awesome. (I think i say "Totally" and "awesome" way too much...) I can't wait to meet new friends :)   I especially hope I'll run into someone on the plane/airport, it's a long flight from Toronto and it'd be nice to have someone with me, it'd be less intimidating once in Athens... Although, I have always been more at peace by myself when travelling, it is so liberating, it's hard to explain.. :)

Work was crazy today, it took me all day to write this lame little entry, but it's a start. I will try to have more to say tomorrow....

Scary night

So, as I advertised on facebook last night, I had a big scare. Not so happy about it still this morning. I had to have a coffee, because my night got so messed up and I was already tired, needed the caffeine boost to help me.

Alright, so as you know, I have the house to myself most nights, Rick works until midnight. At first I was scared to be on my own in a big house, with lots of noise, crazy neighbours, barking dogs and who knows what else? Maybe even monsters under the bed and aliens coming through the walls. I even had nightmares about a plane crashing on the house once, or an earthquake swallowing my house and my house only. I am an anxious little girl, I know.

After a while, I've stopped getting up every 5 minutes to make sure the door was locked at night, I've gotten used to going to bed and falling asleep in an empty house.  I mean, I still lock the door as soon as I close it, even during the day, even when Rick is there. I can't count how many times I've locked him outside while he was having a smoke, because I'd just happen to walk by the door and I would lock it, just out of habit. He'd instantly knock on the door before I walked away, shaking his head at me. And there was the one time, last summer, where he was  mowing the lawn, and I locked the door, totally unconsciously, and then proceeded to go wash my hair. Imagine this, a very hot July day, he's locked outside sweating, with no keys, no wallets and worse of all, no cigarettes. I was in the shower, then drying my hair, then getting ready in my room with music, none of the rooms having windows, and not hearing the doorbell. It was when I went in the basement, that I heard him knocking on the window. I felt horrible, and I think he will never let me forget the time where I locked him outside in the sun for about 90 minutes....

But I got carried away, I just wanted to tell the tale of last night, why I'm a bit grumpy and oh so tired.

So last night was regular business, some laundry, dishes, watched 2 Vampires Diaries episodes (That show is so damn worth it!!! So different than the books, I love both and it feels like 2 different stories) dyed my hair then read a bit in bed. I was asleep by 10pm probably. Then I awoke in panic mode shortly before midnight and I hear Jack running into my room and my doorbell going crazy. Not like someone ringing the doorbell, like someone pressing the damn button 3 times in a row " D-ding-Dding-D-ding" And for Jack to run into hiding in my room, somebody probably knocked before too.

My first reaction, texting Rick "Somebody is ringing the doorbell" in my half-awake state, I thought maybe it could be him, back early from work and trying to get in. But then again, it's not possible, if he didn't have his keys, how would he drive home? Didn't make sense. So I'm officially scared now. There is no way in hell I'm going to open the door in the middle of the night, even if there is a baseball bat by the door. If it was anyone I knew at the door, they would have called before, right? But who the heck knows where I live? And in the absolutely-no-one list of people who knows where I live, who wouldn't have the decency to announce their late arrival and most importantly who doesn't know I work super early therefore am in bed by 10pm?

It took less than a minute for all of that to go through my mind, while Rick replied, no questions asked, that he'd be home in less than 10 minutes.  I think that his prompt uncomplicated response is what kept me from panicking. I couldn't figure out who could be at the door. All the lights were off, there was no car in the driveway, the house was quiet, even the crazy-stupid neighbours had been behaving tonight and were fairly quiet. Knowing that Rick was on his way to protect me, that's totally the way I decided to see it, (I know I've watched too many Smallville episodes) I ventured out of my room. Didn't turn on any lights, tip-toeing downstairs, I was almost holding my breath. I scare easily.

All I could see was red light through the glass door and from the crack in the curtains. Red light? Was that the cops? By staying close to the wall I decided to go peek in the window, the living-room window, not the door. There was a car in my driveway, barely, as it was kinda park backwards, but on the side, kinda blocking our driveway and the neighbours (the non-crazy ones). It didn't seem to be the cops, and there was no sign to show if it was a delivery guy or something (as Rick thinks it was). The car just left as I stood watching from a corner of the window. I couldn't even see the perosn in the car.

 I will probably never know who the heck that was, at first I thought it must be crazy friends of the crazy neighbours, but they never went there, just to my door. If they tried, I would have known, as the 3 big dogs bark like crazy all the time when someone shows up at their door, even them. Sometimes they even bark at me, from the window when I'm walking to my door.

Rick did show up a couple minutes later, I had retreated back to my room after checking the door was locked and turning off the outside light, but there's no way I was even attempting to pretend I was going back to sleep until he got home. I heard his car, but I waited for him to rush to the door and unlock it before I could be sure it was him and just bolted down the stairs. I felt like I was 12 years-old, the first thing out of my mouth was " I didn't dream it, I didn't make it up, Jack was scared too and we saw a car" He took a few minutes to comfort me by telling me it was OK, he was here now and I'd be OK.  It's almost embarrassing, but he's used to it, he sees me shriek regularly and point out bugs or spiders for him to kill and I'm not even going to talk about all the stupid crying when watching a movie or TV that I do.

Such a simple little thing, but it did freak me out. I was able to go back to sleep quickly after that but then my alarm waking me up 5 hours later didn't make me happy. I had to have a coffee and a couple of advils to make sure I'd survive my day.

*More Advils later*

So that was my adventure, I have a unique talent for making a big deal out of little things hehe

When you got nothing nice to say....

Not sure if this exactly translates like this.... But I'm in that kind of mood. I am super happy, so many great thing on the horizon, but today, specifically today, I feel tired and grumpy. I have 0 patience, so thank god it's a quiet day at work.

I've noticed that ever since I started working from home on Fridays and Mondays, Tuesdays are a bit of a struggle. Maybe it's all about getting back to the daily routine, the lack of sleep or simply to getting back to the office part that gets to me. I think it's the people. I usually enjoy most of my team's company and when I don't, I'm good at blocking everything out and minding my own business.

Today is worse. Maybe it's all the cleaning and stressing from this weekend, maybe it's this cold, add that to me being tired and answering obvious questions all day, and you get a very grumpy Milou. You can only guess what's happening because I'm keeping to myself today, minding my own business, not talking unless spoken to. I can't afford to go off on anyone at work, I love my job. I'm even trying to be very quiet on facebook, as some friends of mine are annoying the crap outta me with their stupidity/ignorance.

(I can say that here because there is no way in  hell the person(s) I'm talking about would take the time to read this here, remember the no.1 reason that I get annoyed at people is selfishness, so they won't read this for sure. So, to my 2 1/2 readers, don't take offense, I don't mean you.)

And just in case, I won't go into details of who annoys me and why. I'm not here to vent, not really anyways.

Back to positive stuff, even though I keep repeating it and repeating it over and over again. There is 186 days left until I leave for my trip in Greece, and I have officially paid for half of it already. That's pretty awesome, makes me proud!

Today also marks the day where I have quit smoking for 8 weeks. 2 months already. I haven't cheated, haven't craved it too much, all's well, awesome decision I made.

Also, very exciting news, my mom is visiting me!!! Yup, she is flying in Friday night and will be staying until next thursday. I am very excited and very ready hehe.
The very same day she told me of her plans, Sunday, I set out to Walmart and bought a Queen-size airbed, a comforter, pillow cases, sheets, made sure she'd have non-instant coffee (I drink tea), and rasberry flavored water. The rest can be bought and planned and organised little by little in the next few days. I have been working very hard in getting my house cleaned to my taste, which luckily I has started on my own on Friday, as a pre-spring cleaning type of thing.

I planned our weekend in Toronto, booked the Hotel, train tickets, planned my bus tickets, booked some time-off and schedules at work, booked a show, planned everything for a good easy time the entire weekend. And the rest of the week at my house, I have a fairly good idea on what to do and what else needs to be planned. Only 3 sleeps left :)

I can't wait !!!