February 4 - February 10, 2024
February 2024. And another travel adventure for me…. It has, after all, been seven full weeks for me in one place.
So here I go- from Tulsa, OK to Denver, CO and now I am off again…
Sunday, February 4th
Today concludes our immersive Splankna Advanced training course. And my brain cannot possibly handle any more information. The combination of information about faith, prayer, quantum physics and emotional healing was staggering.
We spent equal amounts of time listening, learning and practicing- and while I am mentally exhausted from it, I am so hungry and excited and desperate for more, More, MORE. I’m excited for what it means and how it can help and heal, yet equally intimidated and overwhelmed by incredible ramifications of his protocol.
Did I mention that I want more? Fortunately, my new friend Lindsay is a Master level practitioner. She attended Advanced training again (something several folks do) because she loves Splankna and wants to stay abreast of any changes in the protocol. When I approached her and asked if she was willing to do a Master level session for/on me and added that my roommate wanted a session as well, Lindsay was happy to oblige. (I won’t learn Master’s level protocols until late October (assuming I can meet and pass all the requirements for Advanced certification), but that doesn’t mean I am not willing to benefit from it now! Why wouldn’t I want to take advantage of healthy healing opportunities?
Monday, February 5th
I was up at 3:30 a.m. in order to catch a 3:45 a.m. Uber to the airport (45 minute trip) for a 6:30 a.m. flight to Seattle.
While I am not a particular fan of Seattle (too big, too much traffic, too expensive!), it IS a gateway to many of the people and places that I love…
So, I hesitated in Seattle (translation: I had a layover) just long enough to get a box of Seattle Chocolates from an airport kiosk, use the restroom (twice) and then boarded yet another flight… this time out of the country.
Where am I going?
I’ll answer that question with a question of my own.
Do you have people who love you so much that they will stand in the gap on your behalf? Do you have people in your life that you can safely be 100% honest with (ZERO SECRETS!) and you know that you are loved that much more because of your authenticity?
I do. And I am off to spend some time with one of them.
Wheels up! ✈️
✈︎ ✈︎ ✈︎ ✈︎
🛩 Aaaand we’ve landed.
Ummmm… why is it so COLD here?! 🥶😆
Never mind the cold, it is totally worth it to be here with Stephanie!
Tuesday, February 6th
Early to bed last night meant early to rise this morning. It was nice to be part of a household/family again- especially because I had zero demands placed on me. 😂😬
I just tried to stay out of the way and not interfere with their morning routine. Gary and Stephanie got their youngest out the door for school, and then each of them headed to their respective jobs.
Stephanie is fortunate to work from home most days, so while she worked in her home office upstairs, I was working/writing diligently downstairs.
Remember what I said yesterday about how great it is to have people who will stand in the gap for you? Those people will give you a little push when you get stuck, call you out when you are in denial, and push you outside your comfort zones (in a good way). It’s a reciprocal relationship, and today, I was on the receiving end.
Stephanie had arranged (and pre-paid) for the two of us to attend an evening event that she thought would be good for both of us. So, after work, she ran me to the store to pick up a few items I needed, fed me (yay!), and then took me for our event, called Art for the Grieving Heart.
I have said it before, and I will say it again:
Heart work is hard work.
By the time we got home after the event (which ended at 8:30 p.m.) I was spent. I’ll blame it on jet lag, though emotional exhaustion certainly played a role. However, I’m glad I went. As soon as we got back from our event, I called it a night and hit the bed.
Wednesday, February 7th
Quiet day, and that is okay. I’m still processing my experience from yesterday. I dreamed pretty intensely last night, which made for a restless evening and an early wake-up. Consequently, I’m a bit of a slug today.
I spent the day researching vehicles to try to decide what will replace my totaled Tahoe, then had back to back coaching calls in the late afternoon, and settled in for a quiet evening afterwards, heading to bed early again.
Thursday, February 8th
Short summary of the day: It was quiet, productive and thought-provoking.
I had a coaching call for some assistance with a platform I am using for business, and it was extremely helpful. so yay! 🎉🙌🏽
Now, back to the grind to make the most of what I have learned.
Friday, February 9th
Stephanie worked in the office today, so I was completely unsupervised all day, except for her A$$hole cats, who took every opportunity to torment me. I finally
bla blah blah
Saturday, February 10th
Today was busy.
I did not sleep well- though the room and bed are comfortable and warm, my arm/elbow continues to pain me. It’s the dreams, though, that have been really disruptive lately.
I woke up super early- around 3:00 a.m., discomfited and unable to get back to sleep, so I gave up, got up, and did some writing. After a couple hours, I returned to bed around 5:30 a.m. or so and fell back into sleep quickly.
I woke to a gentle knock on my door- Stephanie was bringing me breakfast in bed. 💕 I am so loved and spoiled and grateful for her!
Stephanie’s husband Gary headed out to the gym for his workout, and we stuck close to home until he returned, then Stephanie tagged him in on kid-care and she and I ventured out. She has two stops planned for us – Daisy Chain Book Co. and Paddy’s Cheese Market.
Both Paddy’s Cheese Market and Daisy Chain Book Co. are located in an area known as The High Street in Edmonton. The area is self-described as ‘a collection of home-grown retailers, shops, and restaurants in the heart of Edmonton‘.
I wanted to visit a bookstore to get a couple books for A. (I want to foster of love of reading for every child I know and love!), so Stephanie took me to Daisy Chain Book Co., which is one of her favorite local bookstores. Once there, we lingered for a bit, picking out books. It’s been a minute since I’ve picked out books for A.’s age group, so I had to do some quick texting to Rachel B. for help, and she gave me some great recommendations. (Unfortunately, the bookstore did not have any of her recommendations, but Rachel said my alternate selections were age-appropriate, so it was still a successful outing.)
Afterwards, Stephanie took me to her favorite cheese store.
Yes, you read that correctly. We went to a cheese store. Despite her lactose intolerance, Stephanie is a cheese addict. And she was adamant that we had to visit Paddy’s International Cheese Market because she was certain I would love it.
And, Stephanie was right… she picked out a selection of cheeses, then we sat in her car in the parking lot sampling them. She was giddy. I mean, absolutely giddy.
If you want to win her heart, bring her cheese.
And, despite the weird names, such as the delectable Caramel stilton, they were yummy.
While I will never be the cheese addict she is, I definitely have a new appreciation for the varieties and flavorfulness of cheeses.
We wrapped up our shopping adventures, then returned to their home.
Before I knew it, a couple hours later, A. was at the door of my room, letting me know that it was time for me to go. Stephanie had pre-purchased tickets to see Pride and Prejudice (2005, with Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen) on the big screen at the movie theater as a girl’s night outing for us. Initially, when she had suggested a movie night, I demurred, staying that there was no need for us to go out- but when she showed me what was playing, I caved pretty quickly… P&P is a favorite movie for both of us.
Nonetheless, I was surprised that there was line OUT THE DOOR at the theatre, and that it was composed of 98% women. I know there are a lot of Jane Austen fans out there, and they represented well tonight!
It was fun to watch the movie on the big screen, but a little unnerving to have so much audience participation of swooning women ‘ooh’ing and ‘awww’ing, along with outright laughter and even spontaneous clapping (about half of the audience burst into applause at the end! 😧). The experience was, in Stephanie’s words, sophomoric.
However, it was a fun night, and we laughed about the experience as we headed home. After two quick stops along the way, we got back to their place- she joined Gary to watch the last period of the NHL game on TV and I crashed for the night.
And that’s a wrap on week one of my Edmonton Escape…
