Having a place to stay!

Today there was a snow storm (aka blizzard). It made for some interesting driving! Fortunately right after work today, I just had to drive to my parents house to ring in the new year.

At about 9:00pm the snow had stopped and so I helped my sister and my cousins shovel off my parents driveway. My parents have the longest driveway EVER!!! (And I am not exaggerating.) But we finished and went back inside.

I have had a cold the last few days and did not want to lose too much sleep so I left my parents at about 12:15. When I got home, I could not get into my parking stall. The storm had blown snow into my parking stall and prevented me from parking. I could have spent an hour or so shovelling snow so that I could park in my parking stall but I decided against that option. Instead I thought....I could go back to my parents house and sleep there, but there are no free beds so that would require blowing up an air mattress, etc, etc, etc. OR I could go to my sisters house and sleep over there. I chose option B.

It is definitely nice to be able to count on family when you need a place to stay!!

(I will get to shovelling the driveway tomorrow afternoon)

Reading

I enjoy reading occasionally. I am not an avid reader...now. I tend to read everything in sight for 5 days, 10 weeks, 15 months or even 2 years, and then I do not read anything for the next 5 days, 10 weeks, 15 months or even 2 years....lol.

About a year and 1/2 ago I decided to join a book club. I thought it would be a good way to find what types of books I was interested in. I hoped it would give me a variety of books to read (it has). I am currently reading I Was A Teenage Katima-Victim by Will Ferguson. It is a good book. It is also the book I recommended for the group. I have spent the weekend reading the book and I am almost done (I will finish it tonight).

My wrist rest

Does that describe what I think it is supposed to describe? Is that what it is called?

I bought a wrist rest for my computer a few months ago and I really enjoy it. I like it because it is supposed to help with carpal tunnel and also because it has beans(or something like that) in it and it is a lot of fun to play with. Whenever get bored at my computer (or I need a few minutes to think....) I just play with my wrist rest. Isn't that awesome!!

Way to go wrist rest!!

(In case you could not tell, I am really tired and so I am going to bed now.)

Visiting with Family

Today I went over to my cousin's house to visit. It was very nice to get together especially during such a busy season. They were nice enough to have us over for supper as well. It was AWESOME!!

We just hung out and talked for a while and then we played some games.

Coincidentally my niece won a colouring contest and so we went to pick up her prize from that as well. It was AWESOME!!

Taste tasting....

There is a new restaurant opening in my city in the next few days (actually I have no idea when). My sister got an invitation to attend their training (ie. the servers, cooks, bar tenders, etc need to be trained on their jobs in a 'real life' situation). So what they do is they invite people to come to their restaurant to act as patrons and sample the food, service, etc. Today for lunch we were able to go to the restaurant and participate in this. It was very interesting!!

The food was really good and the service was excellent!! I am going to encourage people to go there! Very well done!

Playing Games

I rarely go shopping on Boxing Day. I dislike shopping at the best of times and when you add crowds, it is quite unpleasant. Not to mention the fact that many of the 'sales' last longer than just Boxing Day anyway.

Today I played games. What kind of games? Card games basically. One of the reasons I enjoy the Christmas season is because we spend more time as a family playing games. We do play games at other times of the year but Christmas is the time we play games the most.

It is a very relaxing way to spend Boxing Day.

Christmas traditions

When my grandpa died in 1997, I was apprehensive about creating new Christmas traditions (ie. not going out to the farm for Christmas). However, 11 years later, we do have other Christmas traditions. Our main tradition is Christmas brunch. My family (parents, siblings, cousins, etc) go over to my parents house for brunch. My mom makes cinnamon buns, fruit salad, croissants, crepes, sausage, bacon, etc for brunch. It is very tasty!!

We do not have another meal then until supper. (Although we do snack throughout the afternoon!)

It is a lot of fun!! What a great day!!

Memories of my grandma

It was 14 years ago today that my grandma died.

I grew up really close to my grandparents (and family). My parents owned a house not too far from my grandparents farm so we spent most summers out there as a kid.

In my family the tradition has always been (for as long as I remember anyway) to open our Christmas presents on Christmas Eve. I remember many Christmases spent out at the farm opening our gifts (then playing with them) on Christmas Eve. I cannot imagine doing anything different. We also put on a few plays for our grandparents, parents, etc when I was younger. Mainly the plays consisted of us acting out a Christmas song. One year we did a play to Grandma Got Ran Over By a Reindeer.

Grandma died at about 10 after 4 on Christmas Eve 14 years ago. We opened our presents about 2 hours later. I am grateful that our parents allowed us to open our presents so soon after. It did not become a bad memory for me. I still love Christmas Eve and I feel closer to grandma every year on Christmas Eve.

I am looking forward to creating more memories tonight (especially with my niece)!!

Merry Christmas everyone!!

Ready for Christmas

Most years I procrastinate in getting ready for Christmas. I hate shopping in crowded stores. I hate crowds. I am also usually pretty busy so I tend to leave at least some of my Christmas shopping for the last few days before Christmas. This year though, I was ready a few weeks ago!!

It is so nice having the last few days before Christmas to just relax and enjoy the Christmas spirit. All of my presents are wrapped too!! How awesome is that?

Now all I have to do is bring my presents over tomorrow night. YAY!!

My mom

Today is my mom's birthday. She is very lucky to have her birthday so close to Christmas. She is usually able to see all of her children on her birthday. This year it is debatable though as 2 of my sisters are stuck in the Winnipeg airport. (Oh dear!!)

Today we had another birthday celebration with the family. In case you could not tell, my family is pretty close.

I cannot imagine my life without my mom. I find it very sad when I hear of people losing their parents while they are still young. I find that my mom still teaches me and there are still some things I need her for. She is the voice of experience. Where would I be without her?

Family...all squished together!

We had lunch today at my cousin's house. There were 30ish people over there. They do not have a lot of room so we were a wee bit squished but it created a more social atmosphere.

It was awesome though....talking altogether like that!

There were some eye witness accounts though of some very flat people leaving the house today but I believe we all made it home safely so yay!!

Dancing/partying the night away!!

Today my uncle got married (for the 2nd time)! It was also the first time I met his wife. It was a lovely marriage. They picked the date in October (I believe) and so they did not have too long to plan. It was a very relaxed wedding and if we forgot something 'oh well'. It was mainly just family. (She had 2 guests, and the other 30 people there were my family members.)

It was a great time though!! I got to see a lot of my relatives again (and their significant others), and meet some new people as well.

I think it is probably the only wedding in history where the guests started skipping around in circles to Mary Had A Little Lamb...what can I say? Good times, Good times. (You may have an idea of what kind of a family I have...YIKES!!)

The title of this blog entry may be a little bit misleading though as I left the wedding around 10:30 and the wedding was pretty much done by then. (But what can I say? That is dancing/partying for me now that I am so old...lol)

Boots (with grip)

I mentioned a few days ago that I fell down my stairs while attempting to sweep them. Today I fell down them again but did not seriously hurt myself. Then I went out and got some boots with grip, came back and shovelled/swept my steps again!! AND I did not fall!! It was awesome!!!

We have had really odd weather here lately; not only is it cold, it is also snowing ALOT!! Apparently the cold weather is supposed to last until the new year! I am starting to think Mexico right now would be a really good idea!! (At least I wouldn't slip on ice and fall down the stairs there....or would I?)

Knowledge and experiences

I think you need to have the experience before you can have the knowledge. You can be taught stuff but until you experience, sometimes you just don't understand.

I think I have experienced some things in my life but I know there is still much, much more for me to experience. I am excited to see where this experience and knowledge will take me. Maybe to Rome, or Paris? That would be awesome. I am looking forward to the upcoming years and just seeing what I will experience and see.

Not being in pain

There are some things you take for granted in life. Not being in pain is one of them.

It started out as a typical night. It is actually my aunt and uncle's birthday today so I went over to my parents house for pizza and cake (and good? conversation). It was not that cold out tonight (only about -18 or so) so I decided to sweep off my steps (it has been snowing all day basically). I lost my concentration for maybe a second and the next thing I knew, I was lying on the ground at the bottom of my steps. I knew right away I had hurt myself (but not too seriously I don't think).

My family is full of 'doctors' and apparently I am one of them. I stood up, determined that I can stand on both feet, finished sweeping off my steps and went inside. Fortunately my original plan had been to take a shower when I got inside and so I did. My leg is swollen. Specifically my knee. It is about the size of a baseball (I am exaggerating). My shin is bruised, and my ankle is swelling as well. I think I can feel all of my toes.

Here is where the doctoring comes in.....

I am going to put ice on it for a while tonight and see if that helps. I am in no rush to run to the doctor or the hospital and I really don't think I am that hurt so I will live....if I get worse or whatever, I will go to the doctor.

(Just think....one hour ago I was not in pain....)

Cold nights, warmer days

After the tempature has been so low the last couple of days, it was nice to go up to -19 Celcius today!! I did not have to worry about my car starting today!! Tomorrow it is supposed to be nice too (about -18 again). That will be nice. Today it is supposed to dip down to about -30 again so I plugged in my car but at least tomorrow will be nice.

It is so funny how you learn to appreciate the little things. There was a wind chill warning in our area all weekend and today was the first day the warning was lifted!! AWESOME!! It was almost as though we were living in Florida for a while (LOL - I am totally joking!!).

Year End

Every year at work our year end cut off is Dec 15. Dec 15 is today! In past years we have left at 10 or 10:30. Tonight I left work at 7. It was awesome!!!

It is always nice when an evening goes by smoothly and you don't have to think too much. It was a pretty decent year end and I am glad it is over now and I can concentrate on Christmas!

Electricity

What is better than electricity? Especially on a day like today. It is -30 here and it is supposed to go down to -33 overnight. Hense, my car is plugged in. I was nervous (even though my car was plugged in all night) that my car would not start this morning....but it did!!

Electricity makes it a lot easier to cope with the cold weather!! (That is for sure!!) I could not imagine having to cope with the cold weather without electricity.

Time after time

You know how you know something but you don't really 'know' it until all of a sudden it hits you? Well, maybe you have no idea what I am talking about...

It occurred to me today that we are going to meet so many people in our lives and although I could not say I have learned something from every person who has crossed my path, I can say I have learned something from all of the significant people who have crossed my path. All of the people in my life whom I have formed a relationship with.

I grew up really close to my grandparents for instance. They were born in 1917 and 1919. By the time I die, I will have met people who were born in 2017 and 2019 (hopefuly). I have learned many things from my grandparents and I am sure I will learn many things from those people born in 2017 and 2019 that I have not met yet. Isn't that amazing? I just find that so fascinating. That we will meet such a wide variety of people in our lifetime. We were young once and knew older people. One day we will be old and know younger people. I just find that so fascinating.

But maybe I am just weird...

GBP

I am trying my hardest to not always write about food. But there are some days when you just have to mention it. mmmmmm

Tonight I had Grandma's Big Pancakes (GBP) for probably the first time in at least 20 million years (or March or April...whatever).

They were sooooooo good!!!!

What is GBP? They are a big pancake that looks like a crepe except it is not a crepe. It is a pancake....but they are big and thin like crepes are. They are fried in a frying pan with lard. Then you put butter and homemade rhubarb jam on them. (So a very healthy choice!!) Mmmmmm. GOOOOD!!!!!!

That is all I have to say....


(hopefully my car starts tomorrow.)

Christmas concerts

Tonight I went to watch my niece in her Christmas Concert at school. She was awesome!!

Her class was so adorable!! She was one of the tallest people in her class but considering she is 4 and some of the others are 3, that is not surprising. The whole concert was only an hour long so it was great!!

My Guardian Angel

It is going to be winter pretty soon. That is hard to believe, isn't it? It already seems like winter where I am from!! We have snow on the ground!! The roads are somewhat icy. You just have to slow down in certain places.

I always hope people are safe but I pay more attention to that detail in the winter. There are so many car accidents that I cannot help but hope that all people travel safely in the winter!! Last night we lost another 16 year old in a car accident. It is just so sad that people so young have to die!!

This may seem weird but I always try to picture their life and how normal it seemed. They left their parents house, walked to their car, got in, started thinking about everything they needed to do that night and....

The unexpected happened....

My thoughts and prayers are with his family....

There are so many times I could have been that person. That person who dies. Why didn't I? It must have been my Guardian Angel. They are there for you not only to keep you safe but to comfort you when they can't keep you safe.

Shopping.....Christmas shopping

I have come to the conclusion that my blog is really quite.......boring!!! Maybe it is because I am not exactly the brightest bulb in the lamppost...(Wait a minute....????). I mean lamp...lol.

Tonight I went shopping with my sister for some Christmas presents. I had thought I had finished all of my Christmas shopping a week and a half ago but I got a couple of children to buy presents for now. Who are these children? I have no idea!! I know one is a 10 year old girl and the other one is an 8 year old boy but that is all I know. They are a couple of children whose family needs some help this Christmas as they cannot afford to buy gifts this year. I had a lot of fun!!

While I was there I saw this really nice skirt that I thought my cousin's 7 year old daughter would absolutely LOVE!! (But I could be wrong....) So I bought it! I had already bought her gift a week or so ago but I did not feel too bad buying her another gift as her first gift is just some books for her and her sister (they are Learn-to-Read books).

Except....

Then I bought a sweater for both her sister and my niece (who I also had gifts for). I love Christmas. I love trying to find the gift people want. It is so much fun!! And it is even more fun when they are children!! And you buy them pretty clothes....(okay, maybe the girls like that!!).

I could care less what I get for Christmas but I love getting other people something!! It is so much fun!!

Praise

Today I had people come up to me all day and tell me what a great job I did. How great is that!!!

I am glad they thought it was a great job!!!

I was somewhat concerned it would not turn out the way I hoped it would! But it did!!! YAY!!!

Can I be any more vague?

Naps?

The last few days I have been really tired......really, really, really, really, really, really tired. (Did I mention I was tired?)

There is nothing like spending a Sunday afternoon.....sleeping?

Okay, I did not fall asleep and have a good sleep, I fell asleep and dozed. But I still woke up more alert than when I fell asleep so that is good.

Safety

Safety?

Seriously?

How bizarre is that?

Safety?

I think safety is something most people take for granted. You assume you are going to be safe as you go through your daily routine. There have been instances in the past that kind of shake up your idea of safety but then as time goes on, you completely forget about it again and assume that tomorrow you will wake up and resume your daily routines. But what guarantee do we have that tomorrow we will wake up?

What guarantee do we have that our world will continue to remain safe?

What guarantee do we have that tomorrow will come?

(Okay - maybe I should not try to be profound.)

Let us drink to many safe tomorrows!! Have a happy tomorrow!!

Doing stairs

The people I coffee and lunch with have been doing stairs for the last two weeks. Every day before coffee and lunch, they do the stairs. Yesterday (and today) I joined them. It was a lot of fun!!

I am definitely feeling it now!!!

(Which is great.)

How many stairs did I do? I am not completely sure - at least a couple hundred, maybe more.

Game night

I just got back from a 'Christmas party'/meeting. It was a lot of fun.

We had the chance to play some 'old-fashioned' board games. I would tell you what they were but I completely forget their names.

It was a lot of fun anyway!!!

lunches from home

I have no idea when the last time I brought lunch from home was. Actually I do remember bringing leftover chicken/turkey(?) from home a few weeks ago but that was actually from my mom and not from me. Today I brought lunch from home again!! It was awesome!!!!

I had a meeting from 12-1 (which actually lasted until 1:20) and then another meeting from 1:30 - 2:30 so it was really nice not to have to worry about lunch.

In other news, I have a potluck to go to tomorrow. Question is: what should I bring?

days

I find it so interesting how time goes by.....

One day you are young, and the next....

I think that sometimes your life can be so busy, you are so busy moving from one moment to the next, you do not realize how precious the current moment is. It hit me today how it seems like just yesterday that it was Christmas and now...it just a few weeks, it is Christmas again.

Sometimes I really wonder, is this my life?

Is this what I was meant to do? Is this how I am going to choose to spend my life? Am I happy? Really happy?

Yes, I am happy. I have had a great life!!!! But it is almost Christmas again and I barely remember 2008. Did I make enough memories to last? Are people going to remember me when I am gone?

Is this who I was meant to be?

Help.....by my mom

I had 300 calendars to sort and distribute over the weekend (and today). It took me all weekend to get organized and figure it out.

Today my mom helped me put them in bags and make sure I had all the correct calendars.

YAY mom!!! Thank you very much!!!!

It is when you know that you can depend on your family for help that you know you are truly blessed!!!

My computer

You know, having a computer sure makes it convenient to update your blog every day.

Nov 30 I went over to my sister's house for supper, came back and my computer was not working.....correction: my internet was not working.

So...like you solve every computer problem, I turned it off.

I did not turn it back on.

I am going to go home and see if my internet works!

Lunches with my dad

Last night my dad went to the hospital because he was having troubles breathing and there was pressure on his heart. I called the ambulance for him.

He came out this morning.

We went out for lunch. It was a nice time.

I have spent the day doing something monotonous and now I am really tired.

TTYL

101

Dalmaicians? (I am not sure I spelled that right but my spell check says I did? I am just not sure....)

This is my 101 blog entry! WOW!! I cannot believe I have been at this for 101 days.

Does my life seem boring to you? lol

There are times I have lots to say and there are times I have little to say.

Tonight I have little to say.....

except.......


yay me!!! 101 is an accomplishment. Here's to another 101 (and then another....)

Dreams

Some people may appreciate the dreams they have - 'One day I want to live by the ocean and go swimming every day!' or 'One day I want to win the lottery and start my own camp for kids'. Yes, I do have dreams (not neccessarily those dreams though).

But today I am going to appreciate the dreams I have at night (when I am sleeping).

Last night I had the oddest dream. I was visiting my sister (except it was not her house), and I dreamt that we went to Europe. She bought me a plane ticket to Europe (no idea where in Europe though). On the plane over there, she told me that the ticket cost her $9000 so now I owed her $9000. (FYI - I cannot afford $9000 for a plane ticket to Europe.)

It was just a very odd dream. I am not sure what it means. Any ideas?

Lunch and Learns

This week (at work) I am going to a Lunch and Learn every day (except Friday)!! They are very interesting and you learn a lot.

Today I went to a lunch and learn about this new program my work is getting involved in. It allows employees to spend 3 weeks in a developing country helping them with something. (It depends on the country and why they are needing help.)

It was a very interesting lunch and learn and I am glad I went. (Although I have no plans on volunteering in the next couple of years.)

Tomorrow I am going to a lunch and learn on interviewing techniques. That will be very interesting as well!!

thoughts

I am constantly thinking....

I have a feeling I am not going to be able to sleep tonight because I am thinking....

But I love to think.

I find that I think so fast sometimes that I cannot articulate what I am thinking. Before I finish a thought...I am already thinking about the next thing.

(Sorry, what was I saying?)

Whoa!!

Hope

Today I had a job interview.....

I have a feeling I did not do very well. I have a hard time explaining myself (and that sucks!!).

But I have hope...

Hope that I did better than I thought I did. Hope that I will get the job. Hope that whatever happens, I will be happy in my job!!

What is life without hope?

Faith

I am not sure where I would be without Faith - Faith in what I believe in.

Sometimes it is hard to know what you believe in - and then you realize what you do not believe in, and what you believe in makes a lot more sense.

I am glad I have Faith.

Mornings with my niece

Last night my niece slept over at my house. It was a lot of fun!!!

This morning we woke up at around 7am and had breakfast right away. Then we spent the morning just hanging out, building a fort and messing up my house....

I am glad she came over!!

Education

Today I looked at a picture of me and my grandparents at my high school graduation. I think that in the picture they both look very proud of me.

Then I realized....

Neither of them graduated from high school. I believe they were both very smart (they survived the 30s) but their family could not afford sending them to high school. For that generation, high school was a privilege.

What I find very interesting is that although they did not complete their education, they were (in my opinion) very good at handling money. Yet, some people are more educated then they were and yet they struggle with money. Do you not find that interesting?

I firmly believe that just because you are not educated does not mean you are not smart.

(And I also realize how privileged I am to have completed not only high school but also University as well.)

Awards

Tonight I received an award at our Annual Dinner and Awards Ceremony. In order to receive the award you have to be nominated. Someone I did not expect to nominate me, nominated me which was a pleasant surprise (which reminds me I should put my flower in some water).

It is nice when you are appreciated by other people (and shown that appreciation).

I am really tired right now....I am going to bed.

the white scenery

Today it snowed (again). It took me an hour to get home (normally it takes me 1/2 hr max). I actually enjoyed the car ride home today (although it was longer than normal). I found that I was able to just sit there, relax, and listen to music!!! I did not have anywhere to be so it was awesome!!!

When I looked out my window at work today and saw that it was snowing outside, I was not sure I was ready for winter. I knew it would be a slow ride home (I almost got into a car accident on the way home) and I was not looking forward to shovelling the snow either.

But tonight when I went outside to sweep off my steps, I loved it!!! I loved being outside in the snow again and even sweeping off the steps. I am still somewhat nervous about having to drive to work tomorrow (I was almost in an accident on the way home....it was a very close call), but I am not totally dreading it either!!

YAY snow!!!

(maybe)

(Did I mention I was almost in a car accident on the way home today?)

When things go your way

Okay that may sound odd. It is not necessarily when you get everything you want...it is more like....

Something has been stressing me out for about the last week or so. Yesterday I had an epiphany and realized a possible solution to my problem.

This morning I was able to solve my problem with the idea I had yesterday!!!

Now I do not have any more stress (regarding that anyway).

YAY!!

Fate

Do you ever wonder about fate? Do you believe in fate? Sometimes I think I do and sometimes I am not sure.

I think though that our lives take us in a direction for a reason....sometimes it may not seem like a good reason but it is still a reason.

Was I born to live this life? Or was I born and now I live (this life)? If that makes sense?

I was never good a philosophy....

A good cry!

You know - sometimes you just need a good cry....and all of a sudden, things look better!!!!

jogging with animals

Today I went for a jog...walk. To my surprise (but not really), some animals were following me on my jog. It was quite amusing, every time I turned around and went a different way, all the animals came with me.

I got to go jogging with 1 dog and 4 cats (wait...maybe 5 cats....wait there is #6). That is one of the great things about being at the farm!

weekends at the farm

Lately my life has been busy and stressful. I should be working this weekend but instead I am out at the farm. It is just a really good time to talk.....

AWESOME!!!

I will need to make a point of walking this weekend and not overeating....that is for sure!

heat (again) but this time....

On my hands. Okay that probably sounds really weird?

But don't worry.....

It gets weirder!!

It does not matter what season it is or what the tempature is outside, every time I go to the bathroom, I love to run hot water on my hands. I find this especially nice at work. I could just stand there all day and run hot water on my hands. It feels so nice.

I know I know....

How bizarre is that? (lol?)

heat

For the past few days (weeks?), my leg has been bothering me. Yesterday I rested it and put heat on it. It was fine all day today.

Tonight I have put heat on it again. It is definitely feeling better now!

Hopefully it gets better soon.....

the sound of laughter

(especially a child's laugh)

Sometimes life can be so stressful - you seem to go from place to place to place and rarely pause to appreciate the little things in life. Laughter is something (I would say) most people take for granted.

Make sure you take time to laugh (even on days when you do not feel like it....).

The moon

Tonight I was driving in the car with my niece and she pointed out how beautiful the moon was tonight. It was a full moon!

The moon is always nice to see in the sky at night - without it, you can lose your sense of direction and get completely lost (not that I am speaking from experience or anything...lol).

What a beautiful night!!!!

Patience (while driving)

I do get slight road rage every once in a while - depending on my mood.

But for the most part, I am very patient while I drive. If I do not get through on the light, oh well. I am in no rush.

Whatever!

I noticed today (again) how angry some drivers get while driving and I think to myself, 'Out of everything that goes on in this world, the most important thing is driving or how fast you get from one place to the other?......Whoa!'

early Saturday mornings

Today I went to work to work some overtime.

The first thing I noticed when I stepped out of my door was how quiet it was. It seemed calm.

As I drove to work I could not help appreciating this calmness.

The telephone

It is amazing how easy and convenient the phone is nowadays! You have news you want to tell someone? Pick it up and dial a number....any number....overseas or just down the block.

What is going to happen to face-to-face conversations? I am not sure....but phoning someone is more personable than texting, don't you think? Especially when you have news that is not so good.

The best thing about phones is...
Tell me why
why?
Haven't I? I?
Heard from you?
(songs)

my poetry

Kate October 2, 2008
- written by Camille
Dedicated to my sister Kate

There were times you were annoying
So bratty
Just a kid
There were times I wanted to hurt you
There were times I know I did
(Literally)
Who was that person?
That person with the brush?
That person with the kick?
Your tears? Caused by me?
It makes me sick!
You are going to pull through it
You are going to be alright
You have the strength
You will fight it with all your might
Do not give up
Dry your eyes
We need you right here
In our home
Where Bella lies

the ending....

Of what? You might ask?

A book.

I love to read.....but lately, I have not been able to find the time to read....or more accurately, I have not felt the inclination to read. Last night, I finished the book I was reading (Water for Elephants) and although I was sad that the book was ending, I really liked the end! I thought it wrapped the book up nicely and made me understand the purpose of the book and of the story the main character told.

There is nothing like a good ending!

Driving in the car in the dark!!!

I am so unobservant!! I could not tell you what time it starts getting dark around here. I do know that I drive home from work while it is still light out and when I leave my house at about 6:30, it is dark.

But I love to drive in my car in the dark!!!

Why?

Because then I can talk, or sing, or laugh to myself and nobody will see me!! It is awesome!!

Tonight I practised my speech in my car on my way to the gym. I am presenting my speech at work on Thursday so I thought I should practise it a couple of times....lol.

It was awesome!! Nobody could see me!!!

Rain.......in November!

Who doesn't like rain in November?

(It is better than the 's' word.)

Rain in November means.....it's not cold! (Although some people might think it is still cold...?) And today.....it rained!! YAY!!!!

Time change (or not)

I think today the time must have changed. (I think?)

We never have to change our time where I live. I have actually never experienced time change. I have been in different time zones but I have never had to think 'at (such and such a time) the time is changing, we are going to have to change our clock'.

I like it! I cannot say I would not like changing times but I am content with not having to change times. I have never experienced anything else though so if we had to....whatever.

It keeps life interesting anyway.....(what time is it in Ontario now again?....lol) FYI - I know (I think - if the time has changed....?).

my blog

Some days I have bad days. Bad days are not fun!!

But I love to turn those bad days into a positive! And this is where my blog comes in!

There is nothing like going to the computer, thinking about your day, and coming up with something that you appreciate.

It makes you look at your life in a whole new perspective!

Trick-or-Treating (with my niece)

Today is Hallowe'en!

I got to drive my niece to swimming lessons tonight! She passed!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then we went out trick-or-treating! It was a lot of fun but she got scared. She went to a house where there was a graveyard on the front lawn with statues. Then one of the statues moved...

(Mmmmmm.....pumpkin seeds.)

Riding in cars with (my niece)

Kids see the world in different ways than us adults!

Tonight I got to ride in my car with my niece. We talked about lots of things; stuff that was going on at school, why she likes going to dance (where we just came from), why we should go on another 'adventure' (ie. I randomly drive around pretending that we are lost), even why the sky is blue (okay maybe not that).

I love seeing the world from a 4 year old perspective!

It reminds me that life is a serious thing (but sometimes it does not have to be)....

my sense of humour

I have an odd way of looking at things (or so people tell me)....

Sometimes I see things in a different way than the rest of the world.

And sometimes I just have to laugh : )

my legs

Isn't it great to be able to walk? Or even to run?

Sometimes I forget to be thankful for the small things (or for the things you take for granted). I could not imagine not having legs! I think it would be very hard to adjust. I live on the 2nd floor, depending on my disability....that could be a challenge.

I am very grateful for the legs I have now!!!

Country music

In the 90s I listened to country music ALL the time. Then I started turning to other kinds of music. I like all different kinds of music....I cannot limit myself by saying that I do not like a certain kind of music.

In the Spring I started listening to a new country station in the city. I love this station!! It plays a variety of different music and it is different from any other station I have heard. One of the things I find annoying about the DJ's on the radio (where I live) is that they remind me of people who think they are cool and try to act cool, but they are not cool. This new radio station is not like that!!!

Tonight I was listening to the Country station when they played a GREAT song and I started to sing to it....LOVE IT!!!

the Internet

I am not a techie person (ask anyone I know). I am the type of person who only grudgingly participates in anything that has to do with technology. (Which is one of the reasons I am amazed I have started a blog and have updated it as deligently as I have been.)

I have really come to appreciate the internet lately and everything it has to offer. There are so many things you can do now right from your own house....how amazing is that?

Being Healthy!

Sometimes you do not appreciate the things you have until you no longer have them. It seems so simple....not being sick. It is definitely something I take for granted! But I know so many people who are about my age and are sick.

My sister is one of them (but hopefully she will be okay...).

Today, my sister came home from the hospital. YAY!
My mom has a broken arm...
And my other sister was not feeling very good.

I was the only healthy one!

YAY for me!!

My sisters

I have 4 sisters!

Each one is unique. I cannot imagine my life with less than 4 sisters. That would just be weird!

Today my sister went in for surgery....it really makes you wonder what your life would be like if things were different. (I do not want to spell it out...lol)

When four or less of us are together we seem to get along fine. But when all 5 of us are together, MAN WATCH OUT!!!!

Feeling good!

I think I am getting sick (maybe a cold?).

You do not appreciate how good you feel until you start getting sick....

I am really tired and I think that is why I am getting sick....

What am I doing awake?

I should be in bed!

Being Organized

Apparently I am an analytical person (or so I have been told). I love being organized. Today I spent 2 1/2 hrs getting organized....I still have a long way to go but it is a start.

I spent a long time just organizing my record keeping records.

I LOVE being organized!!!!!

Chinese Food

Need I say more?


(LOL)

training

I have been in a temporary role at work for the last 7 months. Today I started training on my old job (I have been away from it for 7 months). It was interesting....and nice to get back into the routine of the things.....

The best part was the training. I feel that it was definitely worthwhile and I am glad they recognized the fact that I would need to be retrained after 7 months!!

Progress

Today I had an interesting conversation with my parents. My dad was born in 1935 and my mom was born in 1942. When they were kids, neither of them had running water, electricity, indoor plumbing, or even a furnace. In fact, my mom lived in a mud hut until she was about 10 and then they built the new house.

It is just so odd to me to think that so much has changed since then. All of that stuff I now take for granted AND plus we now have computers, cell phones, internet, etc. as well.

I think that my parents (and that generation) will be the ones to experience the most progression in their basic living needs (or wants). I am sure that when I am in my 60s or 70s there will be many other developments (ie. space travel,, etc) but it won't be as basic. I cannot see our basic living necessities changing that much!! I guess you never know what the future will bring - a lot of times you go through change without even realizing how much is changing.

I realized today how much I appreciate progress....(I cannot imagine getting running water and only having one tap in your ENTIRE house!!!).....lol.

I did it!!!

Not so many years ago (maybe even a month ago?) I would not have had the guts to compete in a Speech contest but I have competed in three Speech contests in the last 2 weeks.

Today I competed in my last contest (for a while anyway). I did not place 1st, but I placed 2nd!!!! I am so PROUD of myself!!! I cannot believe I had the guts to do that!!!! Not that many people can say they have competed in a Speech competition and I won 2 competitions and placed 2nd in the 3rd!!! How awesome is that!!!!!!!!!?

support of co-workers

Today I said my speech in front of a group of co-workers. It was mostly the group I coffee and lunch with but there were also a few other people thrown in there as well.

I find I need all the practise I can get...lol

I was sooo nervous but all the feedback I got back was positive so I must be doing something right....(or they are just nice? lol). I am sure I did good! I am lucky to have their support!!

Tomorrow I present my speech to the next level of competition.

I am excited and nervous at the same time!!

Math

Today I had a job interview. Before my interview I was so excited and thought I had a chance...

Then I went to the 2 1/2 hr interview and had to do a math test.

How should I put it?

I SUCKED!!!! I think there were only 5 or 6 questions on the test and I think (if I am lucky) I got 1 right!!!!

It makes me realize....I LOVE Math!! I love to do Math in my head....I love to do Math on paper...I even love to do Math on my calculator...lol

But I guess I am rusty with Math!!! Maybe I should practise more?

Until next time....

Sick days

Don't get me wrong....I HATE being sick!!! I am one of the fortunate ones in that I do not get sick very often.

I was sick today.

But to look on the bright side....

at least I got paid to stay home sick! How fortunate is that?!! There are many things that we are just given that we think of as a 'right' and do not realize it is actually a privilege!!

Maybe one day everyone will get paid to stay home sick!!? You can only dream....

Democracy

Today is Election Day in Canada - we have elected a new Prime Minister....(oops!! I mean we have elected the same Prime Minister again.).

There are definitely things I appreciate about how democracy works in Canada. I like how you have to 'call' an election so they only campaigned for about a month before the election.

I like how everyone has a voice and all you have to do is write it down on a piece of paper (or just put an x in the correct box).

Democracy is a great thing....

Thanksgiving

Today was Thanksgiving. It was a nice relaxing day...

I went over to my sister's house for Thanksgiving supper where we had...(drumroll please...)

Potato soup and spring rolls.

Where is the turkey you might ask? We did not have a turkey this year because we have been eating turkey more this year than in other years. We went over to my aunt's house yesterday though where we had potatos, ham, salad, corn, pumpkin pie, etc. It was a very good meal!!

I enjoyed supper tonight too!! I love Spring rolls, they are really good!!!

I think all Thanksgiving dinners should be with spring rolls...maybe we will start a new tradition? lol

(In other news, the snow is melting!!)

Signs of Christmas at Thanksgiving....

Tomorrow is Canadian Thanksgiving. (I love Thanksgiving.)

Today it snowed....

and snowed....

and snowed....

(and even snowed some more....)

SERIOUSLY!!!

It is not unusual to snow this early in the Fall but it is unusual for SOOOO much snow to fall this early in the Fall. It was up to my knees in some areas!!!!

I am not a huge fan of an early snow fall (I hate the driving and the shovelling) but tonight when I got home....I took a moment, paused, looked up at the snow falling, and realized how beautiful it was. We are so lucky to have that experience. The experience of snow falling....

Did you know that in some areas of the world (and even here in North America) there are places that have NEVER experienced snow? (I am sure you do.) I find that bizarre - a place without snow. Even though it can be a pain sometimes......I do enjoy the snow.

Early snow is the best because chances are....it is going to melt!! I am expecting the snow to melt by next weekend. But at least we got to spend Thanksgiving in the snow!!!

Breakfast

I am a breakfast eater. I do not understand how anyone can go without eating breakfast. I have always been a big breakfast eater (aka I eat a big breakfast) since I was a little kid.

Today I did not have any real breakfast food hanging out around the house (I have to get groceries). But I cannot go without eating breakfast, so today I had a little bit of this, and a little bit of that, and somehow it lasted me throughout the morning. (Maybe I should get groceries soon?)

When you don't have real breakfast food, it makes you really realize how great it is to have breakfast on a regular day!!! What would I do without breakfast?

Canned Tomatoes

Tonight I spent part of the evening canning tomatos - 14 jars to be exact!!

My mom broke her arm exactly one week ago. She had the tomatos picked but not canned so tonight my sisters and I helped her can 14 jars. We now have 35 jars of tomatos. Mom says I can take as many as I want....lol. I think I might just do that! At least I know what is in them (tomatos and 1/2 tsp of salt).

The tomatos all came from my mother's garden!! Mmmm.....I cannot wait to use them!!! I usually will throw them into hamburger meat, or even just eat them with pasta, or by itself. They are good!!!

Supper out with friends

Today I went out for supper with a group of people from work. We do this occasionally....

Tonight we went out to a restaurant that is not that far from our work and the food was good! We were there for about 2 1/2 hours just sitting and talking...

The best thing about the supper was that we did not have to get up and leave half way through our conversation (like at work). We could just sit at the table, relax, and enjoy each other's company, and talk.

It was awesome!! I am glad we took the time to do this!

That feeling!

As mentioned previously, I won a speech contest yesterday!!

I am still 'high' today!!

I still feel all warm and cozy inside - like I am special and awesome and cool!! I feel GREAT!!

Today I meet someone from HR on the elevator at work. I happened to mention that I am going to the next level in the contest in mid-Oct. She told me that she will check her schedule to see if she can come. I feel GREAT!!

I love 'that' feeling!!!!!

Family support

Tonight I competed in the next level of the speech contest I entered. Guess what!!! To my shock!!!!!!!!! I won!!!!! Now I have to compete at the NEXT level!! (What did I get myself into?....lol)

The great thing though was that my mom, my aunt, and my uncle all came to support me! It was great being able to look out into that audience and see some familiar faces!!

I really do appreciate the family support I had!!!

Winning speech contests

That was unexpected!! I was shocked when I found out I won the speech contest. I do not consider myself to be a great speaker. It's awesome!!

Except...
Now I have to compete at the next level tomorrow night. I am really nervous about that!!!!

It has really boosted my confidence knowing that I won our contest. I know I will do well tomorrow. (I hope)

Whatever happens tomorrow night, I am glad I won this contest.....

Easily Prepared speeches

Tomorrow I am in a speech contest. Unfortunately I have not prepared as much as I should have (oh well). Fortunately I was able to come up with a quick speech. I think I will do okay. I just hope I do not completely embarrass myself!! But if I do....oh well.

It is the first speech contest I have ever entered...I hope I do okay.

Swimming

I love to swim but I hate being wet!

Odd - maybe. But it has kept me from the water (off and on) for quite a few years. Today I went swimming (maybe because I bought a swimming suit this summer). I like being in the water but it is just afterwards that I hate. I always feel that I cannot get completely dry and it is just gross!!

Ew...

In other news....what am I going to have for breakfast tomorrow? Hmmm

Long distance phone calls...

It is amazing how cheap a long distance phone call is nowadays!! And how convenient!! With 2 sisters living across the country it is really nice to be able to talk to them whenever you want to (and it not costing you an arm and a leg)!

When my grandma was younger her mother, 2 sisters, and her brother all moved down east...they barely saw each other or even talked to each other. My mom mentioned she only saw her grandmother every 2 years....but now my mom talks to my sister basically every day!!

How awesome is that!!!

Watching my niece dance

My niece is currently taking dance lessons. She likes to dance. Many times my sister (her mom) will play the piano and my niece will dance.

I think she is incredibly talented for a four year old...she pointed her toe, danced with the music, jumped like a Ballerina. She is way too talented to be a 4 year old (but maybe that is just my opinion...lol).

Free tickets

My work is very involved in the community. This gives a lot of perks. A year ago (?) or so I won tickets to a hockey game. Today I won tickets to a football game. This is awesome!!

Now I just have to find someone to come with me...

emails from my sister

Today I was at work and just frustrated, annoyed, and overwhelmed. I have been experiencing some issues and needed a sounding board. My sister was willing to listen to me and try to support me....

I am still frustrated and I still feel hopeless...but it is really good to know you have the support of your family. It made my day seem better anyway:- )

Good meetings

I had a meeting last night and feel like we accomplished alot!! That is always good especially when you are the person in charge.

The only problem is...I totally forgot to update my blog last night. Oh well...c'est la vie, oui?

Showers!!!

There is NOTHING like coming home from camp and taking a shower!!! I have not showered in 2 days and I was outside all weekend camping. (I know I smell!!!)

I LOVE the feeling of going home and showering!!! Wiping away all of that dirt and grime!

I feel so clean now.

We are so fortunate that we can go home and get clean quickly. In our society we have a tendency to say things like...100 years ago they did not have the convenience of showers, they only took a bath once a week.....etc. However, in our country right now, there are people who do not have the privilege of showering regularly. I am so glad I have the opportunity to shower as often as I want!!

Camping in the fall

This weekend I went camping. We slept in tents and spent the majority of the weekend outside.

This summer has been cold. This fall has been cold as well but we occasionally get the odd warm day. This weekend was warm. I think I may have gotten a sunburn (oops----always apply sunscreen). It was one of those days that start out cold and you do not even realize it is hot out until you get a sunburn.

I was mostly concerned about sleeping in tents. (I just did not want to be too cold.) I was not cold at all!!! It was awesome!!! First of all I had the appropriate sleeping bag (that goes down to freezing...aka 0 degrees Celcius or 32 Fahrenheit), as well I had a couple of extra blankets AND I slept with a sweater on and socks and a toque. It was definitely worth the camping experience!!

I am so ready to go camping again next year!!

technological people

I am not the most technological savvy person!!!! (My family can attest to that.)

So it is always good when you have: a) a sister who is technologically savvy, and b) a sister who is willing to help you out!

Today my sister came over to help me out with a few things.......

Unexpected raises

Every year, as long as I am doing a good job, I get a raise. This usually occurs in January. However, I got a raise today!!

The company I work for is restructuring our job rate system. AKA - how much money we make. Long story short.....I got a raise. Now it was not that much of a raise but it was a raise nonetheless. You cannot go wrong with a raise, right? The best thing is that I have the opportunity to make more money this way then I did in our old system. You gotta love that!!!

Happy People!

I know a few chronic complainers. I hope I am not one of them!! Do you ever wonder what people see you as? I consider myself to be an optimistic/realist person but others may see me as a pessimist or (shock!) a chronic complainer!

Life is way too short to spend it complaining about everything!! It's too hot, it's too cold, it's too windy, there is no wind, etc....

I like to take it one day at a time....and find something great about the day (even though sometimes it may seem hard). Happy people definitely help!!! Sometimes I may even need to get my daily dose of happy people from the T.V. but what would life be like without Ellen? (lol)

To happy people!!! (come on....smile:- )

Feeling sore

I love the feeling you get when you have a really good workout and are sore for the next few days!

Sunday I worked out (we did stairs) and now I am FEELING IT!!!

Tonight I worked out again. I wonder how sore I will feel tomorrow. Hopefully I can walk...lol (maybe?). It was pretty bad at work. I would sit down for a little while and get up and MAN would I ever feel stiff!!! I felt like an old lady!!!

But boy!! Is it an awesome feeling!!!

Freeze tag

What better way to burn off supper (okay it was a really good supper! Cedar Planked Salmon again)!!

My niece (who is four) wanted to go play outside after supper so my sister and I went out there with her. Somehow we ended up playing Freeze tag. She won a couple of times!!! She was able to tag both my sister and I at the same time so that we could not untag each other!! It was CRAZY!!
(LOL)
I cannot believe how much energy a four year old has though!!! YIKES!!

Snuggling with my niece

Today I got to snuggle with my niece. I love hanging out with my niece. She is so much fun!!!

She has had a cold the last few days and does not have too much energy so she was quite content to just sit there and let me snuggle with her for a while. Pretty soon she will be too be to snuggle (aka she will not want to snuggle).

Food

Did you know the average person makes a decision regarding food 119 times a day? How lucky are we!!!

It seems so simple - to appreciate food - but I realize I am one of the more priveleged people in the world. I do not have to go hungry. There are times my body thinks I am hungry (sometimes to the point where I get weak) but usually I can find food within a few minutes (maybe a few hours). Friday (?) I slept in until 7:30 (which makes it hard to get to work by 8) and I did not have time for breakfast. However, I was able to get breakfast at work!!! How lucky am I?

There are hungry people all over the world (even in our own backyards)......

talking with my sisters

Last night my sister arrived from Ottawa (coincidence???). It was nice to see her. The four of us (my other sister is still in Ottawa) sat around and talked for a while after supper. It was nice to just sit and talk (and look at pictures). We (obviously) do not get to spend too much time together so it is nice to talk when we do get together.

Corner Gas

Small town humour....need I say more?

Tonight I just happened to catch Corner Gas on T.V. (for those of you out of the loop...Corner Gas is a Canadian sitcom set in a small town in Saskatchewan). I do not make a point of watching it but I do enjoy watching it when I happen to catch it on T.V. It is in it's final year of production (in fact they taped the last episode last Friday - I am a wealth of knowledge I know).

Anyway, as I was watching it, I realized how much I was going to miss the humour and it made me appreciate it that much more....

jumping

Tonight I followed my niece down the stairs. She jumped, so I jumped. It was fun. I do not remember the last time I hopped down the stairs one stair at a time.

Awesome!!

Breaks

What is work without any breaks? I love to take my break at work.

A few years ago I breaked (and lunched) with this one group of people....over time things happened and I eventually found myself breaking with another group of people. Although I miss breaking with my first group, I also enjoy breaking with my new group. I find the time away from my desk is just wonderful!! Especially today....I was having major problems with my computer and so my break came at just the right time!! It was awesome!!!

The commute

I live in a small city.....I think there is less than $200,000 people(?). One of the things I like about my city is that the commute to and from work is short. I leave my house and within a 1/2 hour I am at my desk. It is awesome!!

Tonight was great too as I had a meeting at 7:00pm. This gave me time to go home, cook, eat and leave (okay I did not do my dishes). I was actually at the meeting early too!! I love this place I live in....

working out

About 1 year and 3 months ago I was working out with a co-worker on a regular basis 3 to 4 times a week. Then it stopped. (For a variety of reasons.) But tonight, we worked out again for the first time in over a year!!! It felt awesome!!! Hopefully we will be able to keep it up. The good thing is that we have made plans to get together 2-3 times a week indefinitely.....AWESOME!!!

my bed

Weird....maybe......but man, there is nothing as great as a good bed!! Most times I have the best sleep. Whenever I sleep somewhere else, I do not have as good a sleep. My bed rocks!!

(I am weird, okay?)

Busy days!!!

Today I babysat my niece because it was my day off.

I am finally able to sit down and relax!!! Not only was a busy looking after my niece but I ran a bunch of errands and phoned at least 10 people. It was a very busy day!!!!

But every once in a while it is nice to have days like this....because....

It allows you to appreciate the importance of slowing down, relaxing, and having some 'me' time.

What would life be like without it?

sleepovers with my niece

Who doesn't like a sleepover? (LOL) Tonight I am sleeping over at my niece's house as I have the day off tomorrow and I need to babysit my niece. (Technically I believe my niece is going to sleep downstairs and I am going to sleep upstairs but whatever...)

It is a lot of fun to play with my niece. What other 4 year old says:

'Mommy, let's play reporter, okay?'
'Okay.'
'Okay, I'm the reporter. First question: Ummmmm......If there is a God, why is there so much death and disease in the world?'

Whoa!! She is how old again? lol

Friends

They still make me laugh!!! Even the old ones!!!

When Friends went off the air in 2004, I stopped watching it. What is the point? I thought. All the episodes are reruns. This summer though I have become reacquainted with my Friends, and after a long day it is nice to relax by watching an episode or two.

Tonight I watched 2 episodes of Friends.....and YES they made me laugh....

long chats

Today I had a nice long chat with someone I barely know. It was really interesting! She told me all about her life (well...not quite)and I feel like I know her a lot better now.

I find talking to people to be so interesting. It is amazing sometimes how similar yet different you are to people. I think that if we work hard enough we will be able to find something we have in common with almost everybody. It is a lot easier to get along when you can find some common ground!

walking with my sister

My sister is in town for a few days. She is leaving tomorrow morning (while I am at work). We have not had too much of a chance to hang out while she was here but tonight we went for a walk together. Somehow we ended up at Dairy Queen. (Which probably defeats the purpose of the walk?) It was nice to spend some time with her before she leaves to go back home....

unexpected meetings

I guess there are small things that happen that you just take for granted and you do not think there is anything special about them....but I guess you cannot take anything in life for granted. This is one of those small things.

This morning I decided to go for a walk. I left my house at about 8:30 and had only gone a block when I ran into someone I knew. Someone I work with. She was out walking her dog and so we decided to go for a walk together. It was nice. It gave us a chance to talk a bit.

good hair days?

(Okay, I know I have a lot to be thankful for...but I also have 365 days to be thankful for them. So every once in a while it is okay to be thankful for the small things.)

I think in some ways I am a 'girly girl' and in other ways I am not! Normally I just brush my hair and go...and by the evening it looks bad. Tonight my hair still looks good and all I did was brush it first thing this morning. In fact, all day every time I looked in the mirror I thought my hair looked good.

I know this seems so silly when there are so many things to be thankful for but you cannot pass up a good hair day...lol.

chick flicks???

Tonight I watched Definitely, Maybe. At first I was not sure I wanted to...it did not look that interesting or exciting but....I watched it!

It was better than I thought it would be. (Note that I did not cry...lol) I left the movie with a feel good feeling. They got together at the end and all of a sudden....the world seemed right...lol.

Every once in a while, you just need a movie like that!

my life

One week ago today there was a horrific accident here in the city. Five teenagers were in a car accident, they hit a tree and knocked the motor out of their car. Three of them died...

It is always so sad when you hear of such horrible accidents. Earlier this summer five little girls died in another car accident. It makes me wonder 'why? why do things like this happen?'. It also reminds me to appreciate my own life. I have been privileged to live as long as I have. I do not want to take any day for granted. I try to celebrate each birthday I have and not dread it. I am still young. My goal in life is to just live......

my dad

Today is my dad's birthday. He turned 73.

My dad has gone through heart problems, cancer, etc. and he is still living. (He usually ends up in the hospital 2 or 3 times a year though.) I am so lucky that my dad is still alive. He grew up with 8 brothers and 4 sisters...only 3 brothers and 1 sister is still alive. 6 of his brothers fought in the 2nd World War (1 World War II veteran is still alive). My dad still has many stories and experiences to share with us about growing up and it is awesome that we get to share them with him.

When I was younger my dad used to tell us 'stocking stories' and sing us songs before we went to bed. The 'stocking stories' were stories from his childhood. (On a side note my niece will sometimes want me to tell her stories of my childhood before she goes to bed but they always end up sounding incredibly stupid and silly.) His stories were always so interesting (maybe because he had so many siblings). He would tell us stories like the time his brother started grade 1 and my dad was only 4 but he marched to the school, stuck a cigarette butt into his mouth (to make him appear older), and told the grade 1 teacher that (his brother) had to come out to play...or the time his brother got mad at him so my dad climbed a tree and his brother grabbed an axe and chopped it down...or the times my dad and his siblings would drop marbles onto guests' heads from the upstairs register. (It sounded like his mother had her hands full anyway.) Without my dad, who would tell these stories?

I am very lucky to have my dad!!

homemade dill pickles

When I was younger my mom as well as my grandma used to make dill pickles every year (unless they did not have a good cucumber crop). But ever since my grandpa died 11 years ago, my mom has not had the opportunity to ensure we have dill pickles every year. Today I had the opportunity to eat dill pickles that my mom made a week ago. They were not has dilled as they normally are but they were still really good. She only made 1 jar and it is gone now....

It was a sad day for me...(lol)

As I sat there eating the pickles it occurred to me that I may not have this opportunity much longer...who knows what the future brings but maybe my mom will decide that it is too much effort (and since that would require me learning how to dill pickles....I may not get them as often). Actually I do have family members who also dill pickles but it is just not the same...

(Okay, I admit...all homemade pickles are good (at least the ones made in my family anyway).)

Labour Day

There are so many things we tend to take for granted in life. Most people just expect to have the first Monday in Sept off as Labour Day. Today is a good day to remind ourselves of the significance of this day. IF it were not for the labour movement we would not have the same rights as we do today.

Today is a good day to appreciate how privileged I am in my job.

Sundays with family

I come from a fairly big family. I have 4 sisters, 25 aunts and uncles (11 still living), and 47 1st cousins (46 still living)...after that I have no idea what the count is (I think there are about 64 children of my 1st cousins though and then about 30 of their children??? Something like that.).

I am not too close to the family on my dad's side but I am really close to the family on my mom's side. Today I spent the day with 9 members of my family. We just hung out; watched the football game, and played the Wii. Overall it was a good day. I am grateful I have the opportunity to spend time with my family like this.

treasure hunts

It is not so much the hunt but what it represents....

Today I created a treasure hunt for some family members under the age of 9. The part I liked the most was creating the hunt and then watching them do it. I was out at the farm so I had the opportunity to have to go from the barn, to the swing set, to the chicken coop, etc.

There is nothing better than watching little kids enjoying themselves!!

days off

I am very fortunate in that I have every 2nd Friday off with my job. Not very many people have that privilege and I need to appreciate that fact!!!

So today is one of my days off! I find that these days are wonderful days to run errands, catch up on housework or just hang around with family. They definitely keep me sane!! If I did not have them, I am not sure what I would be doing right now....(okay, I know I would be at work...lol)

my car

On the way home from work today I noticed the gas prices!!! Gas has gone up AGAIN!!! It started me thinking...is there going to be a time when most people cannot afford to drive a car? Perhaps by the time todays' pre-schoolers are 16 they will not be able to get their license because their family cannot afford a car!! Who knows? Perhaps cars will be something only the rich people have...

It just really makes me appreciate the fact that I have a car and (right now) I can afford it...

my sister's place

Tonight I chaired a meeting with 10 teenage girls and their parents. It was a looooonnnnngggg meeting!! It was chaotic and confusing but eventually it was over...lol.

Fortunately it was held at my sister's house. She is brave enough (and nice enough) to let me have meetings at her house!!!! I am very lucky to have a sister like that!!!

my job

Today I realize that I am very lucky to have a job and I should not take it for granted. Sometimes things happen that you do not expect. People do get fired and I should be aware of this and always work to the best of my ability.

Also, not everyone has a job. Some people may have the skills to have a job but are unable to keep a job. I am fortunate that I have a job and appreciate that fact!

34 degrees

Today was a warm day in the city. It reached 34 degress Celcius. I am not a huge fan of hot weather, especially when it is humid and intolerable. However, I did not find today that bad. In fact, I did not turn on my air conditioning even though I live on the 2nd floor. I find that the evenings are usually cool enough that I can open a window and the place cools down quite a bit. So I try to avoid turning on my air conditioning when I can stand the heat! (Note: I think it is a good thing I live alone as I tend to live in a hot environment in the summer and a cool environment in the winter. I usally have my air conditioning set at 27 degrees in the summer and my furnace set at 17 degrees in the winter. Not only is it good for the environment :- ) but I am also very cheap...)

It is on days like this that I have to remember winter days and appreciate the heat.

fresh vegetables from the garden

Every once in a while my sister invites us over to her house (the family that is still here in the city). Tonight we went over to her house and had Cedar-Plank Salmon, fresh vegetable stir fry (from my mom's garden), fresh potatos, and corn on the cob. We even had dessert!! We had a blueberry crumble (the blueberries were from the store though). It was delicious!!

I grew up getting vegetables from the garden and never realized other people don't have the opportunity to grow their own vegetables. I do not want to take this for granted.

guts!

If you had asked me a few years ago (or even a few days ago), I never would have thought I would have the guts to commit to a blog. But 3 days ago I started this blog! Amazing!

I find it really hard to read what I have written. I sound so stupid!! I guess I have to learn to relax and enjoy this blog and appreciate the fact I had the guts to start it....

Rainy days!!

I woke up this morning at about 4 or so except I wasn't quite awake...I was still in the groggy state when things happen that don't make any sense. I thought I heard something hitting against my wall and I thought it was bugs!!! (I have no idea why I thought it was bugs!) I thought to myself, 'why are there bugs hitting my wall? Maybe I should clean my room tomorrow'. I promptly went back to sleep. I woke up again around 6 and realized it was rain I heard and not bugs. (Rain makes a lot more sense.)

I remember when my sister and I were still in University we were both at home and it was raining (a torrential downpour). So we decided to put on our rain pants, our rain jackets and our rain boots and go play in the rain. I must admit, I felt incredibly silly playing in the rain but it sure was fun!!

I appreciate the rainy days! They can make you feel young again!!

In the beginning...

Believe it or not, I am a first time blogger! (Hard to believe, I know.)

There are so many people in this world with struggles...some are mental struggles, some are physical struggles, and some are emotional struggles.

When I was growing up I sucked at vocabulary in school. I remember in elementary school I kept getting Fs in vocabulary. I was so discouraged and I did not want to fail so for the next test, I made sure I studied!! I studied all night every night for at least a week. After the test I kept thinking...'I hope I get at least 50%, I hope I get at least 50%'. (As 50% is passing where I come from.) When we got our tests back a few days later, I jumped for joy!!! I got 50% (exactly)!! I still consider that to be one of my greatest accomplishments. (Okay, I have had a sad life...lol) I am proud to say though that although vocabulary is still something I struggle with every day, I have earned my BA.

I am grateful and appreciate the fact that I have the ability to express how I feel. I may not be the most articulate, but I can still tell people what I feel and why I feel it. Sadly, not everyone in the world has this ability.