Endings and Beginnings

It's spring, and it's time for new beginnings.

I've neglected this blog shamelessly since our wedding.  But when I scrolled through it tonight before coming to bed, it reminded me how much I enjoyed writing it at times.  This doesn't necessarily mean I'll be updating every day, but hopefully I'll update more often than my current one-a-month pace.

So first with the endings.  Today was the final day of business for Wiseowl Toys, my parents' toy store. Back in 2002, my brother and I spent a fair chunk of our Thanksgiving weekend at home helping to apply varnish to the first of the shelves that would hold so many toys for so many years.  It was time to close though.  Nearly twelve years is a long time to work 9+ hour days for six days every week.  In that entire time, the longest break my parents we able to take was five days to come up for our wedding last summer.  It's time for a break.  The people of Williams Lake will be sad, I'm sure, but they had one of the greatest toy stores I've ever seen for nearly twelve years.

In another ending my current boss will be leaving the library at the end of next week.  She's been covering the maternity leave of another staff member, and found a new position she'll be starting shortly.  It's strange though.  My original (and permanent) boss is coming back, but at this point, I've worked for my current boss longer than I've worked for her!

Now for another beginning.  Amanda and I gained weight this winter.  Poor health and a ridiculous amount of snow made it tricky for us to keep active all winter.  But now that the weather is nicer, we're going to turn things around.  We started today by walking to buy groceries (roughly a half hour walk in each direction).  I've got tomorrow off, so I'll try to get out for a lengthy wander (or maybe a swim), and I'm sure we'll get out for a walk tomorrow night.  With a bit of discipline and a little luck, maybe we'll have beach-ready bodies when we go to Tyler and Irina's wedding in November.  I can dream, can't I?

Finally, what would this blog be without a picture?  Amanda and I took this photo together a few weekends ago in a mirror at Bouclair Home.  Amanda is wearing one of my hoodies, but the colour suits her quite well, and I caught her referring to it as her hoodie a few times since then.  But when she looks so cute in it, how can I complain?