1. I can talk to my hubby during daylight hours; face-to-face and for free.
2. Sleeping in my own bed. Ummmm, I knew there was a reason we paid lots for a great mattress.
3. I get to walk the dogs around the neighbourhood again.
4. 2003 Chevy S10, winter tires, and people who (normally) drive in their own lanes…
5. Closets full of clothing. More than one pair of jeans. Sweatshirts and sweatpants.
6. Alberta beef!
7. Cuddling on the couch with Thanatos, Beelzebub, Fenris and Hypnos.
8. And the hubby
9. I don’t need to go to a bookstore to get new reading materials. I have a pile of 20+ books in my office cum library that I have yet to read.
10. But if I did want to read new books, I can walk the 5 minutes down the road to the local used bookstore, order new ones online, or drive across town to the giant Chapter’s…
11. Permanent high speed Internet connection.
12. Friday night Karaoke with the girls.
13. Fridges, freezers, microwaves, and stoves…I can eat whatever I want, whenever I want. I just have to cook it first 😉

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

1. He’s the son my parents never had, loved and was loved by my dad.
2. He didn’t mind when I brought a new “puppy” home while he was away.
3. He knows what I look like first thing in the morning and is still willing to kiss me before leaving for work.
4. He looks damn good in uniform.
5. He’s happy to let me roam the earth in the name of “work” and never complains about how long I’m away or how far I go.
6. We don’t have a phone in the bedroom, but he brings a cordless one into bed with him so he can answer the phone at 3am if I forget the time difference and call him randomly when I’m away.
7. He cooks and does laundry, which makes up for never paying the bills (that’s my job).
8. He never made fun of my fear of heights or of driving, and let me decide when I was ready to learn to drive.
9. The new pickup truck is mine, while he drives my old beater car.
10. He lets me read the book we’re both dying to read first – even if it’s his Christmas present.
11. He tries to make friends with my cat, who’s been in my life longer than he has and never lets him forget it.
12. He understands that sometimes I just need to be alone with a book and isn’t threatened by it.
13. He’s my best friend. He understands my moods, my ups and downs, my crazed ranting, and need for peace. He’s sweet, intelligent, sensitive, and a far better man than I deserve most days. Best of all, he loves me no matter my faults.

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

1. My suitcase was ripped open somewhere along the journey from Canada to India. At least I manged to replace it before needing to get on a plane from Dehli to Mumbai.
2. Less than stellar place to sleep – you don’t always know what you’re getting yourself into.
3. Trip date changes – we were originally planning on spending 4 weeks in India and had made all arrangements around that plan. A shortened time line has left me scrambling to buy plane new tickets, make changes to existing tickets and try to find hotels in Mumbai at 7am for the same day. On the bright side, I do get to spend extra time with my friends and co-workers in Manila now.
4. What can I say about the hotel arrangements? Most hotels were booked solid and couldn’t accommodate us for the entire duration. We’ve had to hotel hop just to have a place to stay. 4 days in one hotel, check out at 7am, check in to new hotel at 9am (travel time). 2 days in that hotel and we hop to another one…
5. Crazy schedule – I know we need to meet a lot of people, but it’d be nice if the schedules weren’t back to back meetings for 10 hours. An occasional bathroom break or lunch time slot would be nice.
6. Our cab was in a car accident.
7. I kicked a toddler.
8. My VPN connection doesn’t work so I can’t access work email from inside the office. I have to connect in from the hotel before and after heading to the office. Network guys haven’t figured out the problem yet *whaaaa*
9. Assuming the hotel has an Internet connection.
10. And that the hotel’s Internet connection is actually functioning at that time.
11. My cell phone isn’t working properly. I can get incoming calls but can’t make outgoing calls. I’ve paid a small fortune so I can call my husband and can’t use the damn phone! The phones were originally barred after 5 days because the Simm card dealer didn’t file the paperwork. Ted’s phone was sorted out, but mine took an extra day.
12. Then, they didn’t turn on nationwide roaming – so when we shifted to Pune my phone stopped working. Anyone traveling to India who needs a cell phone connection should avoid HUTCH like the plague! I’m now working on day 4 without a working cell phone and reliable connection to North America. I haven’t spoken to my husband since arriving in India weeks ago. I’m looking forward to Manila, where I know the cell service well and can easily hook up my phone to call home.
13. Despite having multiple email confirmations that I booked 3 rooms in Pune, when we arrived at the hotel, they only had two reservations on file. Luckily, they had an available room so Subhasish has a place to sleep.

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!