A Canadian's Odyssey in the Smokies

The end is nearing!!

2007-06-30T20:50:00.000-05:00

I still don't feel like blogging much, but I thought I would post an updated picture (or at least, the timeline). I'm now over 34 weeks and she is measuring over 36! Hope she doesn't get too much bigger! In less than 3 weeks she will be classified as full term, although still just under 6 weeks until her due date. I can't wait to have my body back!!! (click on the pic to go to the source and see a bigger version)

I'm Back

2007-06-02T13:10:00.000-05:00

I've just been keeping really busy, and unfortunately this place has had to suffer for it. Even this note will be brief, but if things continue the way they have this last week (will elaborate momentarily) I'll have more time to be on here.

April was busy at work with our usual first quarter busy-ness. This was probably one of the least stressful quarters - let's hope that continues!

The first weekend of May, my sister, bro-in-law and niece came for a couple of days on their way to Gatlenburg. Below is the 3 musketeers:

Baby Sarah turned 20 a few days before they came down here, so I surprised her with a birthday photo cake - the picture is her at 11 1/2 months. Her parents couldn't get over it, and had a really hard time eating her (but it was a yummy cake!). In 20 years, this was the closest to spending her birthday with her that I had.
Just to show how pregnant I as at this point (25 weeks), here's me and Baby Sarah (who, yeah, is a hottie):

Two weeks later, I headed to San Francisco for 4 days to take some training for work. I went with a coworker and we didn't book any extra time in (due to me being pregnant and her having some issues at home), but we crammed in as much sightseeing as possible. If you ever go, I highly recommend a culinary walking tour - although we loved the bay cruise with Golden Gate and Alcatraz, the walking tour was both delicious and really entertaining. Oh and Mary, I went in Burberry and Coach at Union Square just for you!

Up until this point, my pregnancy had been going to well. I walked all over San Francisco (including A LOT of hills) with no problems (although on the mile straight up sections, we took lots of breaks). I even got back from 4 days of walking there to go hiking the next day here. The next weekend, I took Kody for walks, although I kept them to just 1.5 miles of flat. Morena was (and is) quite active and made (makes) my stomach bounce all over the place.

Here's a shot of me from a week ago:

Last Sunday, things changed. Shannon was away with his brother in Louisville, KY and was on his way home Sunday afternoon. After some unusual pains in my stomach, I started bleeding and ended up driving myself to the hospital. I contracted for over a day and was kept in the hospital for 2 nights to let my body settle. Although there was a fair bit of blood (to me!), 2 ultrasounds and 2 internal exams (over 2.5 days) didn't show any problems. I was given two shots of steroids to help with Morena's lung development just in case. All her readings were really good - in fact, the doctor and nurse said they were exceptionally good for a 29 week old. That's my girl!

Anyway, now I am on bed rest. For now it is until Wednesday when I go back for a follow-up. For a couple of days I was fairly confident that it was temporary, but since I am back to having contractions any time I'm up more than 5 minutes, I'm not feeling it so much. Luckily (sadly?) I can still connect to the office - gives me something to do! But for now, I need to get more horizontal again, which means putting my computer up.

Drink Wine, Not Water

2007-04-10T13:21:00.000-05:00

In a number of carefully controlled trials, scientists have demonstrated that if we drink 1 liter of water each day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli, (E. Coli) bacteria found in feces. In other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of poop.
However, we do NOT run that risk when drinking wine (or tequila, whiskey or other liquor) because alcohol has to go through a purification process of boiling, filtering, and/or fermenting.
Remember: Water = poop, Wine = Health. Therefore, it's better to drink wine and talk stupid, than to drink water and be full of shit.There is no need to thank me for this valuable information, it is being done as a public service. Please pass along this important information.

How Awful Am I?

2007-04-03T20:26:00.000-05:00

Here I built up the excitement and then went away for the weekend without posting the results!
First, my birthday on Thursday was low key, but nice. The office threw my a little party the day before. Lots of birthday wishes the day of. No presents from Shannon since I told him that all the extra I had to pay on my hostess benefits for Premier Jewelry (several more pieces of jewelry) show could be my present, but we went out for a good dessert that evening. Of course, found out what this little one is!

Our anniversary was also this weekend. Since this was our final anniversary that we had kid free, we rented a cabin up in the mountain to get away. Obviously, no kids to get away from (except our darling little furboy whom we missed terribly), but it was nice to get away from people calling or dropping in. Plus, our cabin was gorgeous with a fantastic view. We didn't do a lot of touristy things in Pigeon Forge, but did go take the scenic drive out to Cades Cove.

Well, I know this isn't my usual, more elaborate posting, but I'm swamped right now with work and I need to go to bed. Have a meeting at the buttcrack of dawn!

And the result is ........

GIRL !!!!

What Do You Think?

2007-03-29T06:21:00.000-05:00

Here's a shot of me from last night. My mother-in-law now thinks that I am having a boy based on the fact I am carrying the same way she did for her two. Everyone else thinks definitely girl, although there hasn't been much weight gain in the hips or butt (unless I keep eating like I have!!!) Hopefully we will have the verdict in just over 7 hours!!

Yup, S/he's Southern!

2007-03-25T08:05:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy is going well - hard to believe I'm at 20.5 weeks, although sometimes it seems that I've known I've been pregnant for much longer than 3.5 months! Thursday (my birthday) is the day we are hoping to stop using s/he and switch to one of the other. Let's hope the baby isn't shy!

Last night we went to a dinner and show at our church. The local state university's blue grass band (there's actually 12, but we got one of them) played as a fundraiser for the church. When they were warming up and testing the microphones, Baby Bee woke up and started kicking pretty much in time to the music and stopped when the music stopped - Shannon's pleased that that is a good indication that we're having a Southern baby! It wasn't awake for some of the concert (heck, I wanted to nap after the fabulous dinner), but kicked away for other bits.

The weather lately (although screwy!) has been gorgeous. Week before last it was in the 70s all week. Sunday it snowed. Not enough to stay on the ground, but it came down a good chunk of the day. This week has been back in the 60s and 70s with yesterday hitting 83! I'm loving it (although low 70s is my ideal temp) - Shannon has pointed out what I didn't need to hear though. Since it is 83 on March 24th, what will it be like in July? When I'm a beached whale (my words, not his)? I'm not going to let that get me down right now though. I've taken Kodie on several walks lately and both of us have really been enjoying the sunshine. Dogs are so therapeutic. It doesn't matter how down you feel, when you see a little guy who looks like a big dog puppy instead of a small dog romping around with a look of pure bliss on his face, you can't help but smile. Puppy Joy - good for all that ails you.

Of course, having to deal with idiot owners dampens it slightly - I HATE having to dodge piles of dog crap. However, I'm not going to let that bring down the tone of this post and I will save that rant, and my rant about idiots at Walmart and the grocery story (yeah, buddy, you with no shoes on in the grocery store, I'm referring to you), for another time.

As some of you know, I am doing the MS Walk again this year. I'm so thrilled to have raised $390 so far! That's 78% of the way there. (want to donate? click Here) I'm supposed to walk on May 19th in Bristol, but now will be coming back from a business trip to San Fransisco. I'm working on transferring to another walk (April 14th in Greenville) but not sure if I can. Otherwise, Shannon will have to walk for me - I'd hate for that since part of my pitch this year is that I will be walking at 29 weeks pregnant, but .....

Last, but not least, I become an American citizen on April 17th. No, don't worry, I'm not foresaking my Canadian roots! It will just make things easier in the long run if I have my American.

Alright, time for me to head out and embrace the day!

Book Tag

2007-03-04T17:35:00.000-05:00

I'm supposed to be working (just finished some taxes, was going to switch to work work, but hey, it's a Sunday) when I made the silly mistake of checking MB's blog. Drats! Tagged!

1. Find the nearest book: Lately it has been "What to Expect When You are Expecting", but it is upstairs. Mostly I have magazines near me on my desk, but I do have one I got from Little Baby Benny for Christmas.

2. Name the book title and author: "Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder" - written by Richard Louv

3. Turn to page 123: Hey! The start of a new chapter halfway through!

4. Go to the 5th sentence on the page and then copy the next 3 sentences on your blog.

The boundaries of children's lives are growing ever tighter. A 1991 study of three generations of nine-year-olds found that, between 1970 and 1990, the radius around the home where children were allowed to roam on their own had shrunk to a ninth of what it had been in 1970. In the winter 2003 issue of American Demographics magazine, TNS Intersearch reported that 56 percent of today's parents say that by the time they were ten yeras old they were allowed to walk or bike to school. Today, only 36 percent of those same parens say their own kids should be allowed similar freedoms. A separate study by Taylor Reseach and Consulting fuond that 41 percent of children ages eight to eleven worry about being safe in their neighborhoods.

(As an aside, this is something I had been thinking about lately - and I hadn't even gotten this far in the book! I was in grade 6 when Ben and I started biking to school. We were never allowed to go alone - although when he was in 7 and 8, he could bike the 3 miles to his best friend's house - but it was a good 45 minute bike ride. We were about the same age when we biked the 8 miles + into the local village in the summer. I can't imagine letting my kids do that now, even if I wasn't in a fairly high traffic zone with crappy sides of the road. I hope I don't become a distance nazi with my kids, but it is sad that I already know that they will be restricted from what I did as a kid.)

I have to tag 3 people, but most people who read my blog don't have blogs on their own (except on myspace, where they don't blog). I could make them do this in my comment area, but most don't comment on here either - just in person or on email. So ...... 'Stina, when you read this .... tag!

ARG

2007-02-20T13:31:00.000-05:00

This keeps not showing up!!!

I'm Sorry, Josh

I'm Sorry, Josh

2007-02-20T10:33:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I have posted. Work and a total lack of desire of being on the computer (although I've done some ever exciting tax returns) has kept me away. Other than work, only a couple of things have really happened.

On Jan 31st, I headed down to Memphis to take my citizenship test. There was a big deal in the news about the ball player that just passed his with 100% - big deal. He studied for a year, I studied for a month and I got the same freakin' score. Where's my picture on Fox News? I had absolutely no trouble with the official questions and answered them before he was finished asking the questions. He even threw in 2 extra ones - the first which I got, the second which I should have gotten. Why should I have gotten it? My friend Josh (see title) quizzed me on that exact question only days before and I just brushed him off, saying it wasn't an official question and I didn't have to know it. Please forgive me, wise one! I told the immigration official that I was nervous about the English language proficiency test since people here at work made fun of how I talked and told me that I didn't sound Southern - which to them equates to unAmerican. The official laughed and said I wouldn't have that problem with him - he was a Yankee. The test was a joke. I had to read the sentence "It is sunny outside today" and write the sentence "His wife is at work now" - amazingly, I passed! Anyway, it had to be reviewed by one more official and then I will find out when and where I have to swear in. Luckily, no more Memphis - it will be Greeneville, Knoxville or Chattanooga. Oh, and yes dear Canadian friends, I will retain my Canadian citizenship. You can take the Canuck out of Canada, but can't take the Canuck out of the girl!

My pregnancy is going well. I'm still quite tired and have a little siactic pain, but nothing too severe. I've heard the heartbeat 4 times now, with the last time being 175. If the old wives' tale can be relied on, I'm having a girl. I have had a quickie ultrasound (because I looked pitiful and asked for one), but we couldn't tell the gender. That will either be next week at my next appointment (the OB is getting a new U/S machine and I might be used as a guinea pig) or at my 20 week U/S. Can't wait!

Puppy in the Window

2007-01-28T21:49:00.000-05:00

Is there anything cuter than a puppy in the window? Especially when it is MY puppy? Our front picture window is just the right height for someone with stumpy legs and a long body to put his front paws on the sill and look out. He's just so sweet peering out at you, and it is impossible not to pause after backing out of the driveway to wave to him (or, if you are Shannon, flip him off, laugh hysterically and speed off). It is really hard to leave in the morning though if you are the last one to leave him - his watching you drive off makes you just want to zoom up the driveway, run in the house and scoop him up. We especially love when we come home at night and he pops up there with his bat ears outlined by the light of the tv. I wish I could get a picture, but I keep forgetting my digital camera. I'll have to see if I can get a decent one on my camera phone.

Other than that, not a lot to report. Last week I worked 68 hours and this week I worked 67 - tiring even when you aren't pregnant! We had a lot going on at work (our typical busy season), plus we were down a person with one of our 4 taking another job. Tuesday morning, we move to our new digs while our floor is being renovated and Tuesday noon I fly off to Memphis to take my citizenship test and interview.

Right now, I need to get to bed!

Another pregnancy update

2007-01-14T19:02:00.000-05:00

First, I am feeling SO much better. I am still coughing a little and still tired, but the tiredness could also be due to the pregnancy. I had an appointment at the OB's on Wednesday and met with the same nurse practitioner that I saw for the last bout of walking pneumonia and she couldn't get over how much better I looked and sounded.

The pregnancy is still going fine. I got to hear the heartbeat on Wednesday again and it was loud and clear as soon as she put the doppler on my stomach. We couldn't get a reading on the rate because my heartbeat was interferring and the nursing assistant didn't have a watch on to do a manual count, but it was still quite reassuring to hear it so steady and strong. I had been nervous after all the drugs I've had to take. (Speaking of which, gotta run and take my prenatal!)

(back) I'm still nauseous a lot of the time, although it is not as bad as it was prior to me starting to drink real ginger ale (with ginger, not ginger flavour). Until tonight, I hadn't been sick to my stomach in almost 2 weeks. I had been taking my prenatals in the morning because I was less likely to forget, but when I started actually being sick, I was afraid of not retaining any vitamins - now I take them with dinner, although I don't tend to eat much at night.

It's hard to believe I am a quarter of the way there!

Miserable

2007-01-07T10:19:00.000-05:00

Ugh ... what a great holiday it has been. I am still sick. I had almost cleared up all my illness (save for a little coughing) right after Christmas, when I came down with another cold, which has since turned into a worse version of walking pneumonia. I started on the antibiotics again on Wednesday, took Wednesday and Thursday off work, attempted work Friday and ended up on the doctor's again by noon Friday. This time the coughing has been much worse - coughing to the point of throwing up (because I knew you wanted to know that). The nurse practitioner was very concerned and told me that if I didn't get any better, or worse, got worse, this weekend I was to go to the OB floor at the hospital (ER doesn't really care about the baby until you are at least 20 weeks along), do not pass go, do not collect $200. She gave me a killer prescription cough syrup and a puffer - the risk to the baby is much less than me being so sick. Shannon's been afraid that I was going to cough the baby loose - I'm just afraid that s/he will be born with an extra arm or something.

Today I am doing better. Still have a nasty cough, but not nearly as frequent as it was. The cough syrup has also been helping me sleep, which was something I was heavily lacking before. The silver lining? When I went to the doctor's on Wednesday, they decided to see if they could hear the heartbeat. You usually can find it between 8 and 12 weeks and the nurse said not to be alarmed if we couldn't find it since I was only 9 weeks. It took several minutes, but there it was! Once again, the big goofy grin came on my face. On Friday, Baby wasn't coorporating and we only found the heartbeat for a second, but at least we heard it - reassuring in light of all this sickness and medication!

Pregnancy tip: I have found the magic elixer (for me) for morning sickness - REAL gingerale. The stuff in the grocery stores are just flavoured. If you go to a health food store and get gingerale made with real ginger, it is a miracle worker (at least for me). A bottle of that after I get up and I'm fine for the day (provided I eat enough during the day).

It's Been a While

2006-12-31T12:44:00.000-05:00

Merry Belated Christmas and Happy New Year!

Ok, so I haven't blogged in a long time. I have my reasons - a big one being that I've been sick as a dog. Actually, I don't know if that is correct - Kodie's never been really sick, so I guess I've been sicker than a dog? A couple of weeks back I developed a really bad cold that turned into walking pneumonia a few days later. Since I am pregnant, there is not a lot I could take until the OB prescribed antibiotics for me

Yup, you read that right - I'm pregnant! As of this writing I'm 8.5 weeks along. I've been nauseous and tired since a couple days before finding out at the end of November, but the morning sickness started kicking in about a week ago. Let me tell you, that's one way to not gain over the holidays! I'm due August 9th (same day as Shannon's cousin's daughter-in-law) and we are absolutely thrilled. Shannon was a bit of a deer in the headlights at first, but now he gets more excited each day. It's going to be a long 7 months waiting to meet our little one!

With that bombshell (for those of you that didn't know yet), I'm going to go rest again.

2006-12-06T22:06:00.000-05:00

David Bowie and Bing Crosby Little Drummer Boy

My favourite Christmas Carol

URGENT! IMPORTANT!

2006-11-20T09:41:00.000-05:00

CLICK HERE

Which Reindeer are you?

2006-11-19T17:28:00.000-05:00

You Are Blitzen

Always in good spirits, you're the reindeer who loves to party down with Santa.

Why You're Naughty: You're always blitzed on Christmas Eve, while flying!

Why You're Nice: You mix up a mean eggnog martini.

Which of Santa's Reindeer Are You?

Ramblings

2006-11-05T17:24:00.000-05:00

First, I got a new phone (free in two - a $100 off a new phone every two years) last week and took some pictures while walking yesterday to accompany this post and I can't figure out how to get them over here! Emailing them to hotmail doesn't work, so I need to get my flash card in my phone and take them off manually. I'll try to do that this week.

Halloween was great this year. Batman was a hit at the PetSmart Halloween party on the 24th and made lots of new friends. He finally met his internet girlfriend Pippy the Pom, but she wasn't that impressed with him in person (little snob in her zebra jacket!). He was more interested in the lovely lady golden retriever, Molly, but she was preoccupied with being anxious over all the activity. On Halloween night he and I dressed up (me as a medieval princess) and headed to church to do trunk or treat - several cars line up in the parking lot and give out candy. Since we don't get trick-or-treaters on our street, this was the only way I could see them! We had 13 cars and figured we had about 110 kids go through. I gave away chocolate and play doh - Sam's Club had little containers specifically for Halloween treats. Kodie was very interested in the toy poodle with the car next to us, but again, she would have nothing to do with him. He did make good friends with the English Bulldog, Tank.

Yesterday was freakin' gorgeous. I miss the snow and ice (on the lake and canel - NOT the road) of Canada in the winter, but yesterday I was revelling in the mid-fall weather here and thinking just what a wonderful area I live in. The air was brisk, the sky a deep blue, the water like glass and the remaining leaves on the trees in the hills a burnt orange and russet colour. . Because I left it too late, we only went and walked around a .75 mile loop a few times rather than hiking a longer trail - I didn't want it to get too dark before I returned to the car. And is there anything more a picture of joy then a little puppy-like fellow running full tilt through the leaves, all four paws off the ground, giant grin on his face and tongue hanging out?

2006-11-03T21:48:00.000-05:00

Hahaha

I dare you to not laugh while watching this.

2006-10-22T20:04:00.000-05:00

'Canadian Idiot' Weird Al Yankovic

Just in case the previous one didn't work ... Also, here are the lyrics: http://www.com-www.com/weirdal/canadianidiot.html

Canadian Idiot - Weird Al

2006-10-22T19:55:00.000-05:00

Canadian Idiot

A parody on Green Day's American Idiot - hopefully this works.

Batman!

2006-10-15T17:54:00.000-05:00

Batman lives in my house!

I was originally going to have him as a policeman and me as a prisoner handcuffed to his leash, but he is just so cute in this!

Run of Bad Luck

2006-10-15T17:41:00.000-05:00

They say that bad luck comes in 3s so hopefully I am safe for now .....

1. My sister-in-law, already in poor health due to very little liver function, contracted e. coli from spinach and due to her weakened immune system is not getting well very fast.

2. My poor baby darling niece was in a car accident. A vehicle ran a red light while she was driving through the intersection and smashed into her car on the driver's side. It was a strong enough impact that the wheel was pushed up under the engine, the driver's window was smashed out and the windshield busted. She needed stitches in her hand from the broken glass and the airbag burned her arm and her lip - all things that shouldn't take long to heal. However, it turns out that she is suffering from soft tissue damage in her chest, back and neck and probably has a broken back near her tailbone. She's in terrible pain still 2 weeks later and is going to have to be in rehab for the next 4 months at least. She wasn't allowed to drive or be on the bus/subway for the first little bit, so couldn't get to class (although she could have taken a taxi and the insurance would have paid) and when she did make it to class over a week later, she only lasted the first hour of three because she was in such pain. Turns out she shouldn't be sitting more than an hour at a time (and the drive is close to that in traffic), so she can't work or go to school for a while.

3. Then there's Dad. When Dad was approaching retirement, he was dreading it. What would he do with his time? Gardening and reading could only take up so much time. Well ... my parents are NEVER home. He found a passion for curling a couple of years ago and started raising Seeing Eye dogs for the first year - year and a half of their lives. 2 weeks ago, Dad headed down to the rink to curl. They had just laid new ice down. He slipped and fell, breaking his left shoulder and elbow. It must also be mentioned that he is left handed and his right arm is not very good due to a teenage bout with polio. So curling is out, as well as the current puppy. I must say this for Dad though - he'll probably come out of this stronger (probably literally) then he was before. He was given challenges with the polio and far surpassed the experts predictions. If anything good has to come of this, the rehab/therapy will probably be really beneficial to both arms and not just the fractured one.

So, bottom line, if you are a pray-er, please pray for them. If you are not, please keep them in your thoughts.

Tomato Plants from Hell

2006-09-24T08:10:00.000-05:00

Yes, I have tomato plants that, if they had souls, would have already sold them to the devil. There's no other explanation. These things WILL NOT stop producing or even stop growing for that matter!

Let me back up....

In May, I needed to try my hand at vegetables. This year was to be a trial run, so I decided on tomatoes that I would grow in a pot on the back porch. We ended up getting 3 little plants of cherry tomatoes and 3 little plants of bell peppers.

When Dad and Mom came a week later, Dad said that there was no way the tomato plants would do well all together in that pot, that I needed to replant 2 of them. We decided they could go in the flower garden in back (as added greenery) and he, being the wonderful father he is, moved them.

Fast forward to July. The sticks that Shannon and I had initially used to tie the plants weren't big enough, so we drove a couple of bamboo poles into the ground. Even with a lot of twine, we still had to cut off some of the growingly monsterous tomato plant branches off. By the end of July, the plants (in the garden, not the pitiful one in the pot) were a good 4 feet high and even wider for those branches that had escaped the twine. The tomatoes started coming. At first, we'd pick 4 or 5 a day, then a dozen, until mid-August when we were picking upwards of 4 cups of cherry tomatoes a day - remember, from TWO plants. At the end of August, we went away for 8 days and the tomato plants went unpicked (our neighbours all had had their share). When we came back, it was a sea of red. Many tomatoes had ripened and fallen and many, many more were begging to be picked. I don't know if I have still caught up.

It is now the middle of September. The nights are quite cool. We aren't picking tomatoes as we once were. It is not that there isn't any. These plants won't stop producing!!! In fact, I noticed today that they are covered in flowers, meaning more tomatoes are on their way!

Dad, you are doing a whole garden for me next spring.

Kodie and the Canoe

2006-09-17T19:47:00.000-05:00

A lot has been going on lately. I meant to post on here about my first race (3K - came 119 out of 294 and 5th out of 17 in my age group), but time got away on me. Not going to post about it now either. I'd rather blog about this weekend!

Friday night, we drove down to Bass Pro Shop to get our canoe. Yay! We spent both Saturday and Sunday on various lakes (Boone and Wataga to be exact) - and of course, couldn't leave Kodie out! As you can see, we got him his own little life jacket. He has been in a lake before, but wasn't overly thrilled with it, and since you can't be too careful when you are in a manually powered small boat surrounded by idiots in high powered speed boats .... We weren't sure how he'd like it, but he has loved it. He jumped in the water yesterday, thinking that he could catch a heron that had just taken to flight. The look on his face was priceless when he hit the water. Today we put him in for a couple of quick swims to cool him off. The first time he didn't seem to mind too much, but the second he tried to get back in the boat right away. He did appear to enjoy himself while we were paddling around though! All the excitement and fresh air has done him in, however. He's currently in a coma under my desk.

Oldie But Goodie

2006-09-06T13:34:00.000-05:00

I was just thinking of this email the other day and here it was in my inbox this morning. Kodie sighs all the time - I hope it isn't all in frustration!

This is one of the neatest stories I've ever heard. You will know precisely what this little girl is talking about at the end.

Danielle keeps repeating it and over again. We've been back to this animal shelter at least five times. It has been weeks now since we started this," mother told the volunteer.

"What is it she keeps asking for?" the volunteer asked.

"Puppy size!" replied the mother.

"Well, we have plenty of puppies, if that's what she's looking for."

"I know...we have seen most of them," the mom said in frustration...

Just then Danielle came walking into the office "Well, did you find one?" asked her mom.

"No, not this time," Danielle said with sadness in her voice. "Can we come back on the weekend?"

The two women looked at each other, shook their heads and laughed.

"You never know when we will get more dogs. Unfortunately, there's always a supply," the volunteer said.

Danielle took her mother by the hand and headed to the door. "Don't worry, I'll find one this weekend," she said.

Over the next few days both mom and dad had long conversations with her. They both felt she was being too particular. "It's this weekend or we're not looking any more," Dad finally said in frustration.

"We don't want to hear anything more about puppy size either," Mom added.

Sure enough, they were the first ones in the shelter on Saturday morning. By now Danielle knew her way around, so she ran right for the section that housed the smaller dogs.

Tired of the routine, mom sat in the small waiting room at the end of the first row of cages. There was an observation window so you could see the animals during times when visitors weren't permitted.

Danielle walked slowly from cage to cage, kneeling periodically to take a closer look. One by one the dogs were brought out and she held each one.

One by one she said, "Sorry, you're not the one."

It was the last cage on this last day in search of the perfect pup. The volunteer opened the cage door and the child carefully picked up the dog and held it closely. This time she took a little longer.

"Mom, that's it! I found the right puppy! He's the one! I know it!" she screamed with joy. "It's the puppy size!"

"But it's the same size as all the other puppies you held over the last few weeks," Mom said.

"No not size ---- the sighs. When I held him in my arms, he sighed," she said. "Don't you remember? When I asked you one day what love is, you told me love depends on the sighs of your heart. The more you love, the bigger the sigh!"

The two women looked at each other for a moment. Mom didn't know whether to laugh or cry. As she stooped down to hug the child, she did a little of both.

"Mom, every time you hold me, I sigh. When you and Daddy come home from work and hug each other, you both sigh. I knew I would find the right puppy if it sighed when I held it in my arms," she said. Then holding the puppy up close to her face she said, "Mom, he loves me. I heard the sighs of his heart!"

Close your eyes for a moment and think about the love that makes you sigh. I not only find it in the arms of my loved ones, but in the caress of a sunset, the kiss of the moonlight and the gentle brush of cool air on a hot day.

They are the sighs of God. Take the time to stop and listen; you will be surprised at what you hear. "Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

Heart Attack

2006-08-18T21:18:00.000-05:00

Today was a beautiful day - a beautiful day to leave work early, to go to the lake for a pre-Pampered Chef party, to have my engagement ring drop 80-90 feet to the bottom of the lake.

Let's back up. My friend Karen has started back as a Pampered Chef consultant. She sent out a note to several of us to see if we would have a party to help her kick off her business. I had mine last Friday (and got $600 in products for $150!!), another girl had hers on Monday and Angela had hers today. Ang decided to extend hers to make it a "lie by the lake for the afternoon" party as well. Several women from work were invited and a few of us were going to bring our dogs. I arrived mid-afternoon with Sir Kodie and we had a grand time on the floating dock.

Eventually we decided that Kodie needed to try swimming. I took off my rings (engagement and promise) and my watch, tucking them deep in my jeans pocket, stripped down to my bathing suit and went into the lake with that guy. He wasn't sure what to think. I was wearing a life vest (so he wouldn't push me down) and he floated on my chest for a while. He even tried swimming a bit, although he was grunting while trying that so after a few minutes, we climbed back up.

That's when it happened. As I picked up my jeans to put them back on, the rings slipped out of my pocket and bounced on the deck. I grabbed at them and rescued one, but my face drained of all blood as I watched my engagement ring bounce off the edge and sink down into the depths. On one side of the ladder, the water was only 11 feet deep; on the other side, the ledge dropped off to 80-90 feet. It was on the deep side it went down.

I bawled. I felt so stupid, but I blubbered about the value and how Shannon's mom had given it to him. Angela called her husband to see if they knew any divers. He didn't, but he called a diving company for me. It was going to cost $400 and there was no guarentee they would find it. The ring is worth more than that, but that's also a fair bit. Shannon showed up to pick up Kodie in the middle of this and was the model husband. He was hardly fazed and pointed out it was just a material thing. He also reminded me that he had lost his wedding band a couple of years back - his slipped off his finger somewhere in Virginia.

He went home and called a diving company (same one that Angela's husband was in the process of talking to at that time). Right as we were deciding to go with them (although they couldn't do it today), two more friends showed up at the party and called someone at work that dove. He gave them a couple of references for some professionals. That's how we were put in touch with Billy Baxter.

Billy charged $25 an hour and showed up about half an hour after I talked to him. I sat on the dock while he dove and watched his bubbles circle around beneath the floating dock. I really didn't believe I'd see my ring again.

After 15 minutes, he started to ascend. As he reached the surface, his arm came up and there was my ring on his finger. Cheering came from the terrace above and a celebratory drink was prepared for him. He said that he had passed over it twice before he saw it wedged in a cluster of rocks. What a sense of relief!

So thank you, Deidre and Amaryl, for calling Clark. Thank you, Clark, for recommending Billy. And Billy Baxter, you are my hero.

Hiking

2006-08-13T21:03:00.000-05:00

The heat and humidity have finally gone down a little. Since we had a few hours to ourselves today (although not long enough) we drove an hour and a quarter to Roan Mountain to take that guy (aka Kodie, aka the pup) hiking. For the most part, Roan Mountain is at least a few degrees cooler than here. The forecast was for 85F here, 75F in Roan Mountain and beautiful skies both places. Well, as you can see from the pictures below, the skies part wasn't entirely accurate (although it became so just as we were leaving). The temperature was a perfect 66F, which was chilly at first for me in my tank top, but was ideal once we got hiking. We went to Carver's Gap on the Tennessee / North Carolina border and hiked for an hour and 10 minutes. I would have loved to have gone on longer, but my father-in-law was cooking supper. We did hit 'Round Bald', which is at 5,826 feet. At least with the cloud cover, it wasn't hazy and we were actually able to see further than if it had been sunny. The view was beautiful, although the pictures I snapped do not do it justice.

This section of Roan Mountain is on the Appalacian Trail. The Trail goes from Maine to Georgia, and there are several places in this area through which it crosses. Eventually, I would like to hit as many of those places as possible.

2006-08-12T11:01:00.000-05:00

OK Go - Here It Goes Again

This is a great music video. Probably would have been a lot of fun to come up with!

Hello Out There!

2006-07-30T17:01:00.000-05:00

Wow - almost 2 months since my last post! In that time, I've been to New York City for a week and had visitors from Canada. It's not that I haven't had anything to say - it's just that with overtime at work, spending all day on the computer, I just don't feel like getting on here afterwards. As much as I love you guys, I'd rather spend time with my husband or puppy (Happy Birthday, Kodie!). This month was also my busy month - every 3 months, I go into overtime for a few weeks. My worst week this month was 64 hours (40 hours regular + 24 hours overtime) - man, do I wish that we got paid overtime! That's the nature of being a professional however - we're exempt from overtime laws. For the most part, it is interesting work, and it isn't ALL the time. Just feels like it sometimes!

Anyway, just wanted to put a quick update out there - I'm off to pick another couple dozen tomatoes. I am completely overwhelmed with cherry tomatoes on my 2 plants. Good thing I like them!

Below are a couple of pictures of us in Central Park in the middle of June:

EXCITING NEWS

2006-06-01T20:12:00.000-05:00

First and foremost, if you are my parents or sister and you haven't talked to Ben since before the evening of the 30th, turn back now.

You've been warned.

Don't blame me if I spoil it for you.

Ben was supposed to phone Mom and Dad just after I talked to him on the 31st.

Still here? You swear you know what I'm about to announce?

LITTLE BABY BENNY IS GETTING MARRIED

For those of you who don't know who that is, Ben is my younger brother, the baby of the family. If you've been following this blog for a while, you may have seen reference to Wolf Den Bunkhouse n Lodging (http://www.wolfdenbunkhouse.com) - that's his business (officially in 2 weeks!) .

Ben and Robin have been together over 2 years now and on his birthday a couple of days ago, he proposed and she accepted. Knowing the two of them (who are perfectly matched), the wedding/reception will be different. They are both very nature/environmentally oriented and will probably try to incorporate that as much as possible.

No date has been set yet, but it will probably be next spring or sooner. Plus, just because there is no date doesn't mean I can't be utterly thrilled and excited :)

Tennessee

2006-05-28T08:40:00.000-05:00

Things I've learned about Tennessee...

1. Possums sleep in the middle of the road with their feet in the air.
2. There are 5,000 types of snakes and 4,998 live in Tennessee.
3. There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 live in Tennessee plus a couple no one's seen before.
4. Squirrels will eat anything.
5. Unknown critters love to dig holes under tomato plants.
6. Raccoons will test your crop of melons and let you know when they are ripe.
7. If it grows, it sticks; if it crawls, it bites.
8. Onced and twiced are words.
9. It is not a shopping cart; it is a buggy.
10. Fire ants consider your flesh as a picnic.
11. People actually grow and eat okra.
12. Fixinto is one word.
13. There is no such thing as "lunch". There is only dinner and then there is supper.
14. Ice tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're two. They do like a little tea with their sugar!
15. Backards and forwards means "I know everything about you."
16. Jeet? is actually a phrase meaning "Did you eat?"
17. You don't have to wear a watch because it doesn't matter what time it is. You work until you're done or it's too dark to see.

More about Tennesseans....

You know you're from Tennessee if:
1. You measure distance in minutes.
2. You've ever had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.
3. You use "fix" as a verb. Example: "I'm fixing to go to the store "
4. All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, insect or animal.
5. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.
6. You know what a "VOL" is.
7.You carry jumper cables in your car...for your OWN car.
8. You know what "cow tipping" is.
9. You only own four spices: salt, pepper, Tabasco and ketchup.
10. The local papers cover national and international news on one page but require 6 pages for local gossip and sports.
11. You think that the first day of deer season is a national holiday.
12. You find 100 degrees Fahrenheit "a little warm".
13. You know all four seasons: Almost Summer, Summer, still Summer and Christmas.
14. You know whether another Tennessean is from east, west or middle Tennessee as soon as they open their mouth.
15. Going to Wal-mart is a favorite past time kn own as"goin' Wal-martin" or off to "Wally World".
16. You describe the first cool snap (below 70 degrees) as good pinto-bean weather.
17. A carbonated soft drink isn't a soda, cola or pop...it's a Coke, regardless of brand or flavor. Example: "What kinda coke you want?"
18. Fried catfish is the other white meat.
19. You understand these jokes and forward them to your friends from Tennessee (and those who just wish they were).Not EVERYONE can be a Tennessean, it's an art form and a gift from God!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2006-05-25T20:22:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I know that is Christmas, but right now is absolutely wonderful too.

I took my little sunshine boy (see his "rays" on his neck?) for a walk tonight after supper. One of the perks of living in northeast Tennessee is that there are so many parks to walk in. This week we've been going to one of the local state parks that has a .75 mile loop on a small island in the lake. A picture may be worth 1,000 words, but I don't think that even a picture would do this justice. The sky was beautiful - mostly blue, but with light grey clouds that were tinged with pink from the sinking sun. The water was perfectly calm, disturbed only by the ducks and geese. The honeysuckle is now out so it was lightly sweet smelling for most of the loop. The mountains were such a wonderful, vibrant green. It was a completely relaxing hour, and it appeared that many other people felt the same way as they were out walking their dogs.

Now hopefully that guy will sleep soundly all night.

Walking For Linda - Update

2006-05-19T18:28:00.000-05:00

Blue Ridge Chapter MS Walk

May 20th, 2006

Well, tomorrow is the day of my walk. I've still got some weird chest pains going on, so it looks like I will just do the 3 mile course instead of the 6 mile course. There are over 100 walkers scheduled to walk. The coordinator sent out an email looking for volunteers, so I'm going early to help with registration and Shannon will be helping with set up, handing out shirts at the start and handing out fruit and water to walkers. Not bad for both of us being first timers! This chapter really tries to get people involved - unlike the Tennessee chapter that never did respond to my email to volunteer (for the third year). There wasn't any press on the Kingsport walk either. Sad.

Anyway, the good news - thanks to family and friends (including internet friends that I've never actually met!) I've raised $630! The average walker raises $198 and I had set my first goal at $250, thinking that I wouldn't get a lot of donations. Not only did all kinds of people donate, I was overwhelmed by some of the levels. For those of you who did - again, thank you so much! It is so wonderful to be able to help local people with MS and help with the funding for MS research.

Didn't read my story and my reason for walking? You can access my personal page here:

http://www.nationalmssociety.org//VAB/personal/default.asp?pa=54338937&pd=VAB0EWLK20060520BRS

Update

2006-05-15T18:21:00.000-05:00

Wow! It's been over a month since I last posted. A lot has happened and frankly, I was burnt out on the computer in general in the evenings.

Kodie recovered from his grooming ordeal. He also survived his double surgery on April 17th. There's a time in every male pup's life when a boy become a man becomes an it. While he was getting sniped, we also had his declaws removed - they are black, very hard to cut and the way he tries to chase squirrels (EVIL CREATURES that DELIBERATELY taunt him), we were afraid he would rip them. The first night I felt like the worst mom on the planet - he was collapsed, pathetically, on his little mat, his ears off to the side, his eyes half shut. When he later got up to go outside, he was walking stiff legged in the front (had little half casts on his front feet) and bow-legged in the back. We didn't want to leave him by himself, so I took him up to bed with me. He spooned in front of me and had ragged breathing, like someone who is silent crying. Every now and then he would whimper softly. The next morning he seemed quite a bit better and by the next day he had completely forgotten that he had had surgery. He also didn't appear to hold a grudge because he got excited at the vet's.

I kept busy all April with work. We had our quarterly earnings and report at the end of the month and put in overtime.

However, in mid-April I started having chest pains. On the second day, I was taken to the hospital for testing. After an EKG, x-ray and bloodwork, they determined that it wasn't anything life-threatening, although it could be anything from a pulled muscle to a viral infection. I've been to the doctor 3 times since, have tried different treatments and am still suffering. Hopefully we'll figure this out soon. It's not nearly as bad as it was, so it might stop as mysteriously as it started.

Right now my parents are here. They came last Sunday and will be here until Saturday. I've taken 3 days off so far and will take one more before they leave. Sadly, it is what is known as "Blackberry Winter" here right now. We tend to have 3 cold spells in the spring and this is the third of them. Luckily, we have had a couple of days where the rain has held off and we've been able to spend time in Knoxville on the river and enjoy some hiking.

The day they leave is my MS walk. I've been really blessed by good friends all over the States and Canada (several whom I have never even met in person!) who have donated generously to the cause. I've surpassed my goal and it means so much to me that we've been able to do this.

That brings you up to date!

My Baby!

2006-04-08T21:03:00.000-05:00

My poor little guy - what a traumatic day for him!

Today, rather than wrestling him ourselves in the tub and dealing with all the hair we get out of him, we decided to take him to get groomed at PetSmart. The main reason was to get his nails clipped. We're so nervous about cutting his quick since his claws are black.

We got an appointment for him at 5:00 and actually arrived early. After noticing that they had him entered in with DANNY Hensley's contact information (does he look like a chow?), we left him for the 2 hours that we were told it would take.

Actually it was 2.5 hours after we stopped at my mother-in-law's to drop off her birthday gift. We were feeling guilty, as any parent who goes out and enjoys themself while their child is being tortured would. I went in and asked for him. The woman at the counter went back and HORROR! no one had seen to him yet. They pulled him from his cage, shaking, his little ears laying back. She didn't know whether or not he at least got bathed and almost thought he was until she noticed the dirt on his belly. They asked if we wanted to leave him half an hour longer. Since we were already there and he had already been put through a lot, we agreed.

They did do a wonderful job on him and gave us a premium package for 1/3 the cost of the regular package, but MY POOR ANGEL. Left alone, scared and unbathed for so long without anyone noticing that he wasn't attended to! It's not like it is a big pet saloon! He was mighty pissed off at us and refused to look at Shannon until almost an hour later. We, feeling TERRIBLY guilty, although it wasn't our fault, bought him many treats.

Excuse me, I must go beg for his forgiveness again.

How Well Do You Know Me

2006-04-07T08:45:00.000-05:00

I was tagged ...

How well do you know me?? For instance, did you know...

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Egg Grader
2. English / Math Tutor
3. Corporate CPA (accountant)
4. Watkins salesperson

Four movies I would watch over and over:
1. A Christmas Story
2. Office Space
3. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
4. Waking of Ned Devine

Three places I have lived:
1. Bainsville, ON (Canada)
2. St. Catharines, ON (Canada)
3. Kingsport, TN

Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. CSI
2. MadTV
3. What Not to Wear (British Version)
4. In the Attic (actually webcast)

Four places I have been on vacation:
1. Salzberg, Austria
2. Las Vegas, NV
3. San Diego, CA
4. Toronto, Canada

Four websites I visit daily:
1. Hotmail
2. Sparkpeople
3. Delphi
4. Rachel Fuller's blog

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Apple Crisp
2. Shrimp
3. sweet and sour chicken
4. fudge

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. In Bed
2. Wolf Den (retreat in Ontario)
3. Beach
4. camping

Attack of the Head Cold

2006-04-01T09:43:00.000-05:00

What a perfect time to get sick for the first time in AGES - the week of my 30th birthday and our 6th wedding anniversary. Before I get into that ..

THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO HAS DONATED TO MY MS WALK SO FAR! I CAN'T BELIEVE THE GENEROSITY OF MY NET FRIENDS! WE'RE WELL ON OUR WAY TO RAISE $500 BY THE WALK IN MAY.

Anyway, I developed a pretty good head cold on Monday. Dayquil became my good friend. I would have called in sick on Tuesday, but that was when the office birthday party for me was planned. Let me make a comment on that too - loved the American/Canadian flag cake the guys got me.

Wednesday, I was a little bit better - although 3 different cakes didn't help me feel great! I had leftovers from the day before, they had a surprise 30th birthday party (decorated my cube in black) for me and Shannon had a small surprise birthday party for me. Turning 30 wasn't all that bad!

The next day was not too bad coldwise - I survived the business etiquette course and the baby shower for a coworker, but crashed early at home.

Friday, I took off - we were thinking of going away this weekend for our anniversary, but my cold knocked me on my butt. I was absolutely dragging - although it could have just been a sugar crash for not having cake for the first time in 4 days! We decided just to hang around here.

Ironically, I am much better today!

Nitpick update

2006-03-22T09:19:00.000-05:00

I would like to thank Anonymous for pointing out an error I didn't realize I was doing.

It is ANYWAY, not ANYWAYS.

Unlike many people on forums who get corrected, I will not get upset and instead I will apply this constructive criticism.

Walking for Linda

2006-03-20T07:02:00.000-05:00

Linda is my sister. She has MS.

What if everyday you woke up not knowing if you'd be able to get out of bed or hold your child? For many people with multiple sclerosis, this is their reality.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) usually strikes adults in the prime of life - between the ages of 20 and 50. It is a chronic disease of the central nervous system affecting the brain and spinal cord. One new case of MS is diagnosed every hour. It comes and goes unpredictably, leaving people to wonder, "Will I become paralyzed, blind or have trouble walking? Will I be able to raise my family and continue my career?"

I am joining in the fight against this devastating disease. On May 20th I will be participating in the MS Walk in Bristol, VA. I have a goal of raising at least $ 200 to support the National MS Society. I am asking for your help in making my goal. Please click here to view my page for more on my sister and to sponsor me online today. Every dollar means that we are a step closer to a cure.

Thank you!

Nitpicks

2006-03-19T08:29:00.000-05:00

I'm online a fair bit. Some here, some on forums and some on chat. First, I'd like to say that most of my blogging friends type responsibly correctly or better. So this rant is not directed at you.

Let's start with the one that drives me nuts on a daily basis: LOSE. You LOSE weight, people, not LOOSE. Typos happen, but when you repeatedly mix those two up, you kind of come across as uneducated.

YOUR, YOU'RE, UR. I can forgive the last one in text messages. I can even forgive it on a fast paced chat when you are (or you're) speaking to several people at once. Please, don't use it on message boards when you do have time to properly spell it out. It just really annoys a lot (alot? allot? I'm not going to get into this one - it's the most minor nit) of us. Again, if you mix up "your" and "you're" once in a while, mix-ups happen. If you repeatedly use it, please take a refresher course.

THEIR, THEY'RE, THERE. Not going to repeat the occasional slip-up, but again, all the time?

Anyways, the "loose" / "lose" one is what drove me to madness this morning. Yes, I'm a little anal. Sadly, when I took a business writing class a couple of weeks ago, several of my coworkers really didn't know proper grammar either. Is it a regional thing? A country thing? I'd think that it may be due to the fact that I used to devour books when I was younger, but one of the worst in the class reads a great deal. At least I am comforted in that their emails never bug me as some of the boards I read.

Alright, commence picking through this post for all my errors!

Sweet and Psycho - my pup

2006-03-10T22:46:00.000-05:00

Ok, so here's another post already. See, that's how I get in the mood - I post that I'm not!

This is my sweet angel boy showing his alternate personality.

Sweet

Psycho

My boys

Not in a blogging frame of mind

2006-03-10T22:40:00.000-05:00

I appologize, 4 or 5 of you out there, that I do not post with any kind of regularity on here any more. I'm in an internet funk, I guess. Part of it is that I am having neck/shoulder issues - a 1 hour and 20 minute massage earlier this week went a long way to help, but even now I feel the pain starting to radiate from that point again. Part of it is that I spend so much time on the computer for work that I've lost interest in playing on my boards, email or here after work. Part of it is that I am working out a lot more and am getting home a lot later.

So here's my summary for the moment: life is good, life is busy, miss you all.

How well do you know me?

2006-02-28T22:30:00.000-05:00

Take My Quiz
- on -
QuizYourFriends.com!

A weekend out with the man

2006-02-26T08:06:00.000-05:00

I've been slacking on blogging. With so much else going on with work and exercising and taxes and ...., I just haven't been in a blog mood. I did have to share this, particularly with Molly ;)

I am currently wrapping up a fabulous weekend with my darling husband. This was his weekend (originating because of the birthday present I gave him, which is described below). Friday night we went to his best friend's in Raleigh - they've been friends since grade 4 or so and revert back to that level anytime they get together. That was the warm up.

Yesterday we drove to Charlotte and checked into our room at the Marriott downtown. Although we had spent more than we intended already on eating out while in Raleigh, we choose a great restaurant a block from the hotel called Harry and Jean's. If ever you down in the region of the Bank of America building, the convention center, the stadium, you need to try this restaurant.

Then it was back to the hotel to get ready for the big event. Years and years ago, when watching the movie Excalibur, Shannon fell in love with the score while Arthur and his knights were riding into their final battle. He researched the song, bought the CD and fell in love with pretty much all the songs on that CD. He learned all the latin lyrics and used some of the other songs in his short movies he makes (for fun). Prior to Christmas, he mentioned he wouldn't mind hearing the music live. Thinking it was an opera, I set out to find a city either close by or one that we'd like to go to for vacation (or training + vacation so my company would pay most of my expenses!). Imagine my surprise when I learned it was a ballet!

Fast forward to now, last night we went to the ballet of Carmina Burana (Molly: to add color for you, this was a tribute to the North Carolina Dance Theatre's artistic directors Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux and Patricia McBride, both of who have danced with many famous ballets). I was nervous giving Shannon the tickets for his birthday in January, but all he was concerned about was that the music was the same. The first act was actually a world premiere of Alleged Dances chorographed by Dwight Rhoden. It was ... interesting. I did like it. Man, are those dancers athletic! Shannon's goal in his fitness is to have the body of a male ballet dancer.

Carmina Burana was phenominal. During the opening song (music by the Appalachian University orchestra and choir, as well as 3 guest singers), we both got chills. I had gotten the best seats available and the only downer to them was a guy in the row in front of us (luckily not directly) who acted more like he was at a wresling match - it isn't necessary to whoop and hollar after every song. This was our first ballet (other than me watching Nutcracker on tv) and we were mesmerized by the dancers, the music, the sets. Most importantly, Shannon loved his birthday present.

Today it is back home to pick up the little man at the kennel and back to real life. *sigh*

Alright Dale et al, here you go

2006-02-10T19:11:00.000-05:00

I really should be working on my grocery list (yes, it is one of *those* Friday nights) so that I can get to the grocery store and get back to get on the elliptical, but I'm feeling guilty (see #4) that it has now been 2 weeks since I was first tagged and I have since been tagged four other times.

These are in no particular order:

1. I can't stand a sink full of dishes. My house can (and sometimes is) cluttered and it doesn't necessarily spur me into action, but more than a couple of dishes in my sink drives me mental. Can I get a woo hoo on finally getting a dishwasher in this new house?

2. I came |-| this close to being a professional musician. I've played instruments (started with clarinet and graduated to trombone and piano for the most part) since I was 10, but performing on the trombone was almost always a thrill. Nothing like the rush of a great song coming together. I even applied to McGill University, but dropped that idea before my audition. I LOVE playing, not big on practising. Heck, I quit piano lessons when I was 16 because my required 45 minutes a day was lucky to be 45 minutes a week. I would have had to go back and take my conservatory tests (only had actually taken theory exams) for piano, plus got private lessons for the trombone, and probably would have ended up a teacher. Nope, not for me.

3. My parttime job through school (from grade 8 until partway through college) was in an egg grading plant. We were the largest grading station in Quebec and owned by the largest commercial chicken farm in Canada. It stunk, it was messy and I pretty much hated it, but it paid better than pretty much any other job out there for someone my age, I got a good number of hours (weekends during the school year, fair amount of work throughout the week in the summer) and it helped me with my French (which helped me get the French award/bursary when I graduated high school).

4. I have guilt issues. I constantly worry after I've said or done something that it could have been taken the wrong way. Too bad I have foot-in-mouth-itis anyways. I still feel guilty for the first time I snapped at my husband ..... 7 years ago.

5. I used to be a casual smoker. Not just cigarettes when I was drinking (everyone does that), but my friend Sara and I would go to the cigar lounge next to the dance club and smoke and play cheese. Oh yeah, we were cool.

I am so old

2006-01-29T20:16:00.000-05:00

No, I'm not talking about the fact that in two months I can no longer say I am 29 with a straight face.

Tuesday night, I went to my first ever hip hop dance class. First, let me say that my manager invited FIFTEEN of us to go to this and a couple of hours before there were THREE that were planning on going. She ended up having to stay at work and the other person was under the impression that we were going to call her, which I didn't know. So, I was alone. Alone in a room of 2 dozen strangers, most of them teenagers.

Why hip hop? I don't listen to the stuff, although if a catchy one is on the radio when I am flipping by, I will stop and listen to it. Michelle (my manager) and I have both taken ballroom and want to learn all kinds of different dances. Even when I faced being there alone, I decided to stay - (1) to learn and (2) because it was a form of exercise when I am desparately lacking on time to normally get much exercise in.

It was fun. But I am old.

First, the little girl leading the class seemed so much younger than less than 10 years my junior. The key thing she tried to teach us is that (1) we weren't there for anyone other than ourselves and (2) hip hop is all about ATTITUDE. By the end of class, I was working my bad self, which is a huge accomplishment because I can tend to be really self-conscious in situations like this.

The biggest "old factor" though was that ..... *sigh* ... I found myself making comments (in my head) that 10 years ago I would have rolled my eyes at my mom for. What has become of me? First, young ladies, that's great that you are not embarrassed about any weight issues you might have. I applaud you for that and wish I had more of that, but .... BUT tight t-shirts do not make you look sexier, especially if that results in a large roll between your shirt and your track pants. Oh, and chickie in the pink tracksuit - you were great, throwing yourself into it, but no one should wear almost transparent pink pants - I didn't need to know that you were wearing white underwear with black flowers. Oh, and when you are a triple D cup, you probably should wear at least some form of support. I'd hate to see you knock yourself out flinging those things around. Little instructor girl - you were awesome. You brought me out of my shell and gave me moves I've never had before. BUT when you wear your trackpants low so that you have a couple of inches of underwear showing and complain as you roll up your pant bottoms about stepping on them, all I can say is maybe you should pull your pants up a little. I know, I know, novel idea.

Anyways, I did sign up for the full 6 weeks, although this week might be iffy if I get there - deadlines, month end closing approaching, etc might get in the way, but I really do want to go. And not just to have more catty comments!

That Thing on Your Head

2006-01-18T11:42:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how we can all speak the same language, but not necessarily understand what is being said. I'm not talking about the kind of language barrier where you can't get your point across either because you aren't explaining it right or the other person isn't understanding it the way you mean. I'm not talking about how you tell a child to do chores, or not touch, or ... and it is like you are speaking a completely different language.

I mean actual words - how various regions not only have their own accents (no one ever assumes my husband is a northerner!) but their own words for things. This thought partially hit me when reading comments on Rachel's blog. Some people had never heard of some of the turns of phrases used - I don't know if I knew exactly what she meant because we use them in Canada, or I just watch enough British comedy. There's also these differences within the North American continent.

More specifically, I am talking toques.

To me, the winter hat you wear on your head has always been, and will always be, a toque. Although derived from 16th century France, this is a part of Canadian identity.

Now, I understand that this word developed into our normal vocabulary because of the French influence in our country, being bilingual and all. Oh, and to the chickie that kept arguing that Canadians call them tookies ... NEVER heard of that. Doesn't mean that there aren't Canadians that do, but that is not mainstream.

When my husband came up for Christmas one year when I was still living at my parents, we planned to go to Ottawa to see the Parliament Hill all adorned in snow. Before we left, he told me he needed to get a tobaggon. I tried to point out that it was not that kind of hill (it's where the Parliament Buildings are) as he proceeded to tell me that it was to wear on his head. Dude ..... oh, you mean a toque? How can the word that we use for a wooden sled be the same as the knit hat he wanted?

A couple of years later, we went to visit a friend in Atlanta. She was from Ohio and her husband was from Georgia. As she prepared her baby for our walk, I asked what she called the item she was placing on young Allen's head. She gave me a funny look and replied very slowly "A ski hat". Neither she nor her husband had heard of toque or tobaggon (for the record, Atlanta is only 4 hours from where we live).

Since then, I have run into a woman from Maine that used toque and a guy from Iowa that used stocking cap.

But, to me, it will always be, and should always be, toque.

Unable to load a picture of me in my new toque, but here is my winter hat of choice at the moment:

Canadian Olympic Wear

It's the bottom row, middle picture in the collage. Not sure why I can find it in the catelogue.

My Trip to the Motherland

2006-01-16T12:16:00.000-05:00

It was great to be back home - I hadn't been up there in well over a year and it was 2000 when I last was actually able to spend Christmas there. Here's a quick recap with pictures.

Up at 4 am on 12/21. Correction, I got up at 4; Shannon, having gone and seen King Kong at the 10:20 pm show the night before, never went to bed. His brother had fallen asleep in the recliner and just before 5 we woke him and he drove us to the airport.

During check-in, they told us that we might have to change planes in Charlotte. Our flight was supposed to be to Norfolk, VA, with a touchdown in Charlotte to load/unload passengers, but with us staying on. No biggie.

In Charlotte, it took us several minutes to find out that the remainder of our flight had been cancelled. Great. Luckily, we were first in line at Customer Service. At first they were going to fly us to Newport New, then drive us to Norfolk, which would get us in around 2:30. Hmmmmm ... since we had a 11:20 connection in Philly to Ottawa, that was a bit of a problem. Oh! You're going to Philly?!? Honeychild, we can get you there direct. Problem was, it was boarding at the complete opposite end of the airport. After problems changing our ticket (since the computer had us already onboard a flight), a quick call to the baggage people to find our luggage and retag us, CS put us on one of the express carts. Unfortunately, it only went 1/3 of the way. As we approached the escalator, the driver asked if I was handicapped? Disabled? Sure I'm not handicapped? Once we determined I needed to be, we hobbled upstairs and was shortly whisked on. We made it to the flight just a couple minutes before the doors closed.

Once in Ottawa, we quickly got through customs and waited. And waited. I really wasn't surprised that our luggage couldn't keep up with us. Even though my parents were over an hour away from the airport, all our bags were driven to their house the next day - although that didn't stop me from going shopping that night for "just in case" clothes!

The rest of the day was spent visiting with my parents, having Tim Hortons and enjoying watching the snow fall. We also met their latest "baby" - Dad raises guide dog puppies for the first year or so of their lives. This is Leamie.

To those that know them: my parents' new house is very cosy and quite nice. I wasn't able to picture them in town before, but now I can.

I'll try to keep things a little more brief ...

Thursday lunch, I met up with some of my former coworkers. First, I would like to say, AL IS A STUPID LOSER FOR NOT JOINING US. It was weird going in the office - so many changes in the 4 years since I worked there and even a lot since last year when I visited. We joined JD, Linda, Julie and Paul at the Knight's of Columbus, where a buddy of JD's fixed us huge plates of wings, fries and chili. Unfortunately, it was too short and we had to move on.

After spending part of the afternoon looking for Shannon's phone (Leamie had hidden it, as it turned out), we headed up to Kanata to see Mary Beth, whom I've known since grade 9 (well over half our lives now!), and her husband David. We hadn't seen each other in over 2 years, which is when they came down here to visit us.

sidebar: I give up on the pictures for now ... I'll never get this finished if I wait until I have time to upload them elsewhere

We had a very lovely evening and their new house is very beautiful. Unfortunately the evening was much too short (even with us leaving almost at 11:00). Just as we were leaving, it started to snow and halfway home we were almost persuaded by the weather to stay overnight in Castleman - kind of ironic when Mom used to tell me to stay at Mary's when the weather was bad when we were both in band in high school!

Friday we had lunch with my friend Jamie, who I also used to work with at Welch. Jame - if you are reading this, you are doing great on the exercising! Afterwards, we rode around town a bit before heading over to Massena, NY for a better mall. The town over there is crappier than Cornwall, but still have better shops!

The actual weekend was fairly quiet. We went to church for both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Christmas Eve, Shannon and I were the greeters at the door. They couldn't get anyone to do it, so Mom had volunteered her and I, but we subbed Shannon for her. (Dad was assigned another job). It was nice to see people I hadn't see in 4 years since I moved (hadn't been at Mom and Dad's on a Sunday since before the move). Some vageuly remembered me (as in "You look familiar"), others were thrilled to see me. One of my favourite was seeing someone who spent most of my childhood/teen years trying to make me feel like a loser (she was often successful) and seeing her do a double take when she saw me. Yeah, so I am still chunky, but I think that I looked pretty darn good on Christmas Eve. Plus, I have such a handsome husband.

After church on Christmas, we opened our gifts. I think that everyone was happy with what they got. We also did all the calls - talked to all 3 of my siblings and to my grandmother. The weather was gross, but we ventured out for a bit to take Leamie for a walk. Christmas dinner was interesting - my parents were renovating their kitchen and had their oven converted to gas, but didn't have it vented yet. They had been lent a George Foremen rotissie oven to do the turkey in, but we couldn't get it to work, so the turkey was done in a small crockpot, the beans in the electric skillet and the dressing and mashed potatoes in the microwave. It was still yummy!

On Monday we met up with my friend Crystal. Remember that name - one day she will be a famous director (and is already heavily involved and recognized in the Sudbury Theatre as well as festivals in Toronto). After lunch at East Side Mario's, we went to Zellers where I got my Canadian Toque to go with my Canadian shirt she got me.

Next day, with the only perfect weather of the trip, we headed to Ottawa to come back home. Our little man was very glad to see us (my brother-in-law had picked him up from the kennel). Our luggage was able to join us the next day after I had returned to work.

All in all, it was a good trip.

ARGGGGGGGGGGGG

2006-01-04T21:55:00.000-05:00

No, I'm not a pirate. I just can't post any &*#@$ pictures. I'm working on my trip recap and I have to post at least a couple of pictures! Stupid freakin' blogger!

I'm Back!

2005-12-28T15:19:00.000-05:00

Arrived last night from a quick trip north. Thanks to everyone for their Christmas wishes and I'm sorry I have been MIA on other people's blogs as well as my own.

I had a delightful trip (other than lost luggage in BOTH directions and BOTH times happening in Charlotte - which was only 1 of 4 points) and will post a better update on that in the next couple of days.

Good news! My older brother is at home! For someone that was clinging to life only a couple of short weeks ago, this is absolutely phenominal! He's on a very restricted diet, but is getting along quite well. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.

More News

2005-12-14T09:54:00.000-05:00

My brother is now semi-coherent. He's still disoriented and sometimes not there, but if you had been in a coma for over a week ..... He is in a lot of pain too and they keep him on morphine. I think the best news is that he is no longer on the respirator. His kidneys still aren't functioning like they should and his pancreas is definitely shot, so they are having to do dialysis on him. There is still a long way to go (like what happened to his pancreas - the diabetes was probably caused by the pancreas, not the other way around), but we are definitely moving forward!

This time a week from now, we will be between Virginia Beach and Philly on our way up north. Our flights zig zag all over the place. I'm excited to get up and visit with my family and friends, although that means 8 nights without my darling little puppy! We'll be mush by the time we get back home!

Lastly, I was getting ready this morning and felt that the bathroom was a cave. Since we have no neighbours behind us (at least on our side of the hill), I opened up the blind. There, in our backyard, were 3 deer. It was so peaceful watching them. When I went back to the window after a while, they were gone. I love living in our little community in the country .

Great Weekend

2005-12-12T09:48:00.000-05:00

First, let's get the not good news out of the way. My mother is still trying to get a hold of a doctor to get an update on my brother and my sister-in-law is not keeping in touch very well. Mom has a bad cold and can't see him in the hospital, so she is not heading to Cali right now. My sister did get a hold of my sister-in-law and my brother is out of his coma, but he's not really responding. His eyes are blank and mostly stares at the ceiling. Although the doctors didn't think there was kidney damage, his kidneys still aren't functioning on their own. :(

The good news: I had a Christmas party last night. There were actually 5 of us who planned it and my house was most central. It was a Girls Night Out Christmas party for the ladies in our department. 9 of us were there and we had so much fun. There was way too much food and drink and since I didn't have to drive .... Kodiak thought it was the best thing every - people were there to see him!

Trying to get ready, I also got to get onto the Basement Jam loop chat and lo and behold, Rachel was there. Wickedly cool.

Say a prayer

2005-12-07T22:12:00.000-05:00

My older half-brother (43 y.o.) went into a diabetic coma on Tuesday. I don't think anyone (including him and his wife) knew that he even had diabetes. He's in ICU on the other side of the country (and different country from my parents and sister). Since his pancreas is shot and there is something wrong with his lungs, he's on dialysis and a respirator. He's responding minimally, and the doctors aren't saying his prognosis. His sugar was off the charts it was so high. To top it off, they don't have insurance (or even a job in his case). His wife thinks that he will be home before Christmas - the rest of us don't feel that optimistic. Please keep him in your thoughts/prayers.

Dispelling some Canadian myths

2005-12-01T20:55:00.000-05:00

1. If everyone is freezing to death in the south central state in which you are living, you must be finding it comfortable - because you are from Canada and that means that you were naturally born with antifreeze in your blood.

This may be true if you are travelling south for vacation or maybe even in your first year living in the south. You do have a tendancy to mock people in big sweaters and overcoats when you are still in a t-shirt. You welcome a cold November sky because you know that it will bring snow. After that - your blood is as thin as anyone elses. It's like saying that Arizona isn't too bad in the summer because it is a dry heat. Hot is hot; cold is cold. Nip ons do not observe boundries and I can cut glass with the best of them.

2. The only reason you don't play professional hockey is because the NHL already has its quota of Canadians.

Yes, I learned to skate almost as soon as I was walking (just like everyone else did - pushing around a cheap wooden chair on the ice like a walker and not feeling like you had really gone skating until you fell at least 3 times and nearly made another crack in your butt). Yes, I played hockey (in the correct fashion - spending hours upon hours clearing off the snow off the creek and being too tired to play more than half an hour). No, I never played organized hockey (except floor hockey and ball hockey in elementary school). Yes, I suck. No, I can't skate backwards.

3. You speak French

Actually, this one is true for me. Although one of my bosses in Canada said that I butchered the language when we were heading out to work on a French client, I was told by a French professor at a local university that I speak at a masters level. This is not true for all Canadians. We do have to take French from grade 1 (or so) to grade 9, but I took it all the way through high school, worked at a parttime job in Quebec for 10 years and worked at French clients when I was doing accounting. A lot of Canadians can only swear and/or say "poutine" and "Je ne parle pas francais" ("I don't speak French"). Oh, and if you think that no one understands you when you say "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir" (before "Moulin Rouge"), you may get smacked. Ask some guys I went to high school with.

4. Canadians hate Americans

Hate is such a strong word. Other than Tim Hortons coffee, the top of the list in Canadian identity is proving that we are not American. We really don't have any really defining national characteristic except the stereotype of being a toque-wearing (check), flannel decked (notsomuch), beer and/or Tim Hortons swigging (yup) hockey fan (to some degree). Our emails are filled with jokes bolstering ourselves against our southern cousins. We deny airplay / Juno nominations for homegrown talent (i.e. Bryan Adams) because they work with Americans and therefore aren't Canadian enough. According to FoxNews every other night, Canada's sole objective is to thwart American plans (doesn't help that we have some loud-mouthed, opinionated-but-doesn't-speak-for-all-Canadian politicians). When we see/hear a Canadian entertainer, we scream to all listening "s/he's Canadian" in a manner that implies "don't you dare lay your American claim to THEM".

Let me explain some of this mentality. One, I am proud of our talent, so yes, I pounce when I recognize a Canadian doing well for themself. Two, the biggest for me, is that a few Americans affected my mind-set for a long time. Living on the border with the States gave ample opportunity for interaction. Unfortunately, the most impressionable were those times, particularly in Niagara Falls, when my outings were tarnished by loud, obnoxious, almost invariably Yankee (not to be confused with Dixie) tourists, not to mention some poorly educated students who didn't know much about a country that was only 6 hours from them. As I have gotten older and wiser, I recognize that the (loud) voices of the few do not represent a whole population. Moreso, I can even say now that an equal number of Canadians piss me off as Americans. You have rednecks everywhere. You have really sweet, friendly people everywhere. Just remember, young, impressionable Canadians, stupid does not adhere to borders.

Postscript

No, it does not snow year round up there. Yes, we can buy summer clothes and it does get hot. This one is for Canadians who haven't figured it out yet: no, we do not have free health care - look at our tax rate. No, the peso isn't worth more than the Canadian dollar. Yes, we really are that polite (although that, sadly, is changing). Yes, I am really tired and need to end this.

GO LEAFS GO

Look Ma, no cavities!

2005-12-01T20:54:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to pat myself on the back .... went for an overdue dental check-up today. Almost 30 years old and still only the one filling I got when I was 21.

Another Successful Thanksgiving

2005-11-25T13:19:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we celebrated the American Thanksgiving. I have so much to be thankful for: an amazing husband, a great (albeit stressful!) job, a beautiful house, hilarious puppy, good health and wonderful family and friends. We spent a fairly quiet day - walking the dog in the morning before heading over to my father-in-law's for an early dinner. It's was a perfect day to recharge batteries.

A Month!

2005-11-20T17:42:00.000-05:00

In one month, I will be back in my home and native land. I am so excited - I haven't been back in 15 months and I haven't been with my parents at Christmas since the year before I moved down here (so last Christmas there was 2000).

I still won't get to Toronto to see my sister and her family, nor will my fabulous friend, Sara, be able to make it from Vancouver, but there is still so many great people I am going to get to see. Little Baby Benny probably won't be home either - he's heavily involved in his business and probably will have bookings over the holidays (that's Wolf Den Bunkhouse n' Cabins in case you are wanting a woodsy getaway!)

I will at least get to see Mary, Crystal, Kristina, and the gang from Welch! I've known the first 3 for over half my lifetime .... met them all in grade 9 and was best friends with Mary until the evilness that was the bad David (not to be confused with good David) got between us. Here we are, still great friends after all these years. It's always great to get together and recap - although now that Mary (and also Sara) is a blogging monster, we keep up on each other better. Here's a pic of Mary and I when we were 16. (I went looking for a band picture of Mary, Kristina and I, but couldn't find it - yes, we were band geeks).

The hardest part will be leaving "our son" behind for 8 nights. We have people watching our house, but we don't want them tied to a puppy who still will need to be let out often. Hopefully he will meet new friends at camp. I'll probably be an emotional wreck by the second day without him.

Local Wildlife

2005-11-19T09:05:00.000-05:00

The temperatures have dropped significantly, but the sky is still a gorgeous blue. As long as you are dressed warmly, it is wonderful to get out. Yesterday, we looked up the hill in our backyard and saw a young deer.

We also had some moose. (If you click on the picture, you can get a larger image)

Hectic and Busy and Relaxing

2005-11-16T20:44:00.000-05:00

I appologize for not doing much on either here or on Kodie's blog. I've been trying to spend less time online and more time with Shannon (when he isn't travelling) and Kodiak, as well as taking more time to exercise and just plain read. I've taken a few days off here and there, although last week's 2 days were mostly spent cleaning house and preparing for my Home Interiors party. We've been in this house for a year now and my walls are still pretty bare. We're having our realtor over for dinner tomorrow night - he hasn't seen this place since right before we started doing the renovations.

Mar - here's my new hair .. the colouring is much better in person. I had blond highlights and copper lowlights (chunks) put in.

Also .... this is the ultimate relaxer ...

I'm In Trouble

2005-11-12T17:04:00.000-05:00

She of the "ha-ha-I'm-at-Depeche-Mode-and-you-are-not" fame has yelled at me for not doing a new entry. I'm off to fix some grub and run to the mall, but I should have another entry up tonight. Kodie should for sure ;)

Leger-sa, you should be proud. I have chopped my hair and have added a couple of colours. (blond highlights and copper lowlights - done chunky)

Fall Day

2005-11-06T16:00:00.000-05:00

It is a beautiful fall day. It's raining brightly coloured leaves, but most of the trees are still adorned in red, orange and (yes) green. The prophesies of a dull fall have been proven inaccurate. Even though it is the beginning of November, I've been outside in a tank top .. and was warm even before I started raking. I'm dying for some snow, but I could handle more days like this.

About Dogs

2005-11-06T12:18:00.000-05:00

First ... I've gone round the bend and have a blog just for Kodiak. I joked about it to a couple of people and they thought that it was a good idea. So yes, I am a loser that gives her pets their own spots.

kodiakskorner.blogspot.com

Second, I just wanted to take a moment to give a shout out to the organization that my father donates his time to.

Dad's been around animals all his life - living on a hobby farm growing up and then getting his Bachelor of Science in Animal Husbandry (no, that does NOT mean marrying animals!) He first worked for a commercial chicken company (no, not for chickens in advertisements) that had him travelling to other parts of the world, then owned a pig farm, before working at a commerical chicken farm until his retirement. Through all this time he has had many dogs. I think the longest period that I can remember of us not having a dog was about 6 months.

When he was facing retirement, he grew very nervous - he worked a lot of overtime and didn't really have many hobbies outside of reading and minor gardening - certainly nothing that would occupy his time when he was no longer working. It was during this time of reflection that he met a woman in town who was a puppy walker. She would take in guide dogs when they were puppies, teach them basic obedience (housebreaking, come, stay, etc) and get them used to being around people before they would move onto the next stage of actually learning to be a guidedog.

Dad decided this was for him. Not long after retirement, he received his first puppy - Watts. Can you guess which one he is in the picture? To be a puppywalker, you have to be a responsible adult with no work commitments (since you have to take the puppy to various appointments), have a fenced in yard and treat the puppy like a member of the family. Dad and Mom already had a 6 year old border collie/husky/german sheppard, which was helpful in getting the puppy used to being around other dogs. Watts (and puppies since him) went to the grocery store, the library, the mall ... as long as he had his official "Guide dog in training" vest on, he was considered a working dog and it is illegal to prevent working dogs into your establishment. Dad has since had several foster dogs and is getting close to the end of his time with Leamie. Right now he has Leamie and a foster dog named Quiltie (he doesn't pick the names ... the Guide Dog organization does based on the letter of the litter - Watts was in the W litter, Leamie the L and Quiltie the Q).

I just wanted to mention all this because he has Quiltie because there are not enough puppywalkers. There was an information session in our hometown last week and only 1 person expressed interest in more information. It is a demanding job, but it is very rewarding. Personally, I am not sure I could do it - bond with a puppy and then have to give him up after a year, but my parents say that the thought of helping blind people to have loving, wonderful dogs is worth it. Walkers don't pay a dime, other than gas for appointments and taking puppies around, so you are literally just donating your time.

Anyways, just wanted to highlight this great organization. www.guidedogs.ca/puppywalking.htm

Lab? Haha!

2005-11-04T09:38:00.000-05:00

Ok, the official word from the vet is almost definitely no lab in Kodiak. She thought heeler was a good possibility. On one hand, great - heelers are really smart dogs. On the other hand - another hyper, bored easily dog that can get distructive when bored. Maybe he has part lazy dog in him to balance him out!

I'm off today. For the beginning of November, it is bloody gorgeous. It has been cloudless all week and should be in the 70s today. I'm going to go workout on my elliptical before going and running errands. Some time today, we're going to go to the park for a walk. He's a good influence.

Proud Parent

2005-11-01T06:57:00.000-05:00

I promised myself I wouldn't turn into one of those gushing parents .....

First, thanks to everyone who commented here or emailed me admiring the baby. He's such a joy.

Second, I am so thrilled that it has now been 2.5 days and he has yet to mess in the house - why I mention this trivial thing is that the bathroom door was not closed correctly last night when hubby went to bed and this was only discovered when I got up this morning. I dreaded what I might find - messes from the puppy, chewed computer wires, couch in shreds. Nothing. The only sign he wasn't in his bed all night was the fact that his stuffed frog was in the family room. I REALLY hope this good behaviour continues!

Anyways, couple more pictures - couldn't help myself!

New Baby

2005-10-30T07:48:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we welcomed our first child into our family - Kodiak (or "Kodie"), so named because he looks like a little bear.

To do some bonding, and to be a model wife (as I tell the guys at work I am), I went with Shannon to a gun show. I was more interested in a hunting dog at one of the booths then anything. Somehow, Shannon and I decided it was time to get a dog. Somehow, we talked ourselves to heading to PetSmart where local shelters bring dogs and cats for adoption. I still don't think we were serious at the time.

That's when we saw "Cadillac", whose sister had already been adopted earlier in the day. Poor little guy had been there all day, but he was still so sweet. How can you resist that little face? We almost did, but we couldn't walk away.

They say he is a 10 week old Jack Russel / Lab mix and I weighed him at 5.4 lbs last night.

He is very well-behaved. It was about an hour and a half between when we first saw him and when we got home and no messes. We played outside a while before going in. We've decided he is only going to be allowed downstairs (we're there in the family room the most anyways) and the bathroom is his room for now when we aren't there with him. The shower stall is quite posh with an absorbant pad, a sheet and a body pillow. We should/will get him a crate, but this is working for now. We shut him in the bathroom while we were upstairs having dinner and he cried for about 5 minutes before letting a frustrated sigh and settling down. After dinner, we headed to the store to find him a nice toy to sleep with, since this was his first time away from his sister. On our return, we were delighted that there was no mess in the bathroom and took him outside. He did leak when I picked him up, but his little bladder was quite full. He did all his business outside and then waited until we were outside again a while later to do it again.

As you can see, all the running around wore him and his daddy out. Kodie and I also slept for a while on the chair. When we put him to bed around midnight, we had a nature CD playing in there and he didn't make a sound until 7 this morning. Again, no mess in the bathroom.

Hopefuly this will continue!

Off to take him outside again since he just had his breakie about half an hour ago.

I have more pictures at My Other Blog

Comfy

2005-10-26T19:05:00.000-05:00

Just hanging out, watching In the Attic in Jammies ... in my jammies!

Rachel and The Boots Mission

2005-10-24T12:00:00.000-05:00

These are actually two separate topics, but I'm supposed to be working ......

1. Due to my blathering on and on about (a) my favourite show of "In the Attic" aka the Rachel and Mikey Show and (b) my winning the prize on said show, here is the link to Rachel's Blog. Those interested in seeing "In the Attic" needs to scroll down a few entries to where she has the WHOTV link.

http://rachelfuller.blogspot.com

DO NOT forget to also check out her album at www.bn.com - the samples should get you hooked!

2. What prize you ask? I was the quiz winner on "Attic" this past week and am VERY stoked. I won a WHO t-shirt and a striped jumper dress. My weight is falling off finally and hopefully, if it doesn't fit now, it will before long. I've been on a mission though to get a new pair of knee-high boots, but all the ones I like are sold out :( I think I drove Shannon nuts this weekend going to every single store I could think of. There's one pair that I am considering that I found today, but I'll wait on the dress to see how they look - pretty much any black boot will go with my slitted skirts and my short green dress.

Rachel - if you pop over here, thanks again for all you do for your fans.

Friday Night Ramblings

2005-10-21T21:12:00.000-05:00

It is 10:18 (at least at the start of this entry), and what I am doing? I am here with you ... my friends ... even those that are boneheads and lurk and only comment on my entries in emails months later.

Actually, here, at 10:21, I haven't been home from work long. For those that have followed me over from my msn space, you'll remember my rant on my profession ... how people think I am important when I talk about working 12 hour days and think I have such a worthwhile, meaningful, alturistic career and then it turns out that I am just an accountant .... Today was a 13.5 hour day with no real breaks (other than driving from one end of the plant to the other for meetings). It's a good thing my group has the same twisted sense of humour that I do ... long days are much more bearable when you don't have to stay serious and focused every minute of the day. I have to go into work fairly early tomorrow (Saturday) since we have a slightly after noon deadline.

So, at 10:25, I am doing nothing more exciting then playing on my email / delphi forums / blogger (luv ya Rachel/Mikey/Simon/Dale/BallerinaGurl!) Some say that the net is such a waste of time. I have to admit - there are many times I feel guilty about the time I spend on here when I could be more productive, especially in terms of housework! I look back to '95 or '96, the years before I started learning the ways of the chat, and think of how much I enjoyed reading books. I don't have time for that now ... at least, not like I would maybe like. Then I think that my free time was because I had a much less stressful (but less interesting!) job and lived with Mom and Dad. Has NOTHING to do with hours spent reading about / chatting with people I don't really know.

But is the net such a waste? Perhaps without it, I would have lost touch with dear friends from my youth. It is much more convenient to drop a line or two from time to time online then have to make time to write letters, find stamps and actually snail mail. Without it, my phone bill to my sister and parents would be a lot higher (although I still love calling and chatting!) Without it, I wouldn't have made some really great friends. Heleen, Julie, Ali, Wendy and the like ... can't imagine my life without them now. Who knows what friends the future will bring? The net brings me my new favourite program, and related blogging, of "In the Attic" - will it also bring friends that I will be holding near and dear years from now?

Of course, here at 10:34, I can't forget the great gift of the net. 8.5 years ago I started chatting to my darling hubby ... who I met through my friend Jay ... who I met through my university friend Laura who had met Jay online .... and Jay met Shannon online ..... Yes, maybe 3 hours a night in the early days puts me in the loser category (like Kip from "Napoleon Dynamite"!), but is a budding relationship with someone you originally met online (although we met in person before starting to date!) REALLY a waste of time? My parents, who love Shannon to death, would still say yes .... before adding a "giggle giggle". Even now, after being married over 5 years, we'll message from across the room just for old times. Waste of time? It makes us laugh and lightens the day, so I would say "no".

But now, at 10:41, my contacts are feeling scratchy and I think I might plonk on the couch for a bit before bed. Shannon's off camping, and I think that this has proven that I am not so much of a bachelorette anymore.

Off topic, Sara, here's my hair now (keeping in mind that it now 16 hours since I did my hair, or even my makeup for that matter!):

Break In

2005-10-12T10:29:00.000-05:00

Generally, I go to bed quite a bit earlier than my husband. For one thing, I get up before 6:00 and he's still in bed at 8:00. He also doesn't need as much sleep. Most nights, he comes and lays down with me for a while until I fall asleep and then gets up to go back to the computer or watch Napoleon Dynamite for the MILLIONTH time. Sometimes, he falls asleep with me (mostly unintentionally).

Monday night was one of those "fall asleep with me" nights. I was tired as it was and went upstairs around 10:00. We talked for a few minutes, but were probably asleep by 10:30. At 11:30, both of us were in a deep sleep when we were awoken by a loud crash. Disoriented, we lay there for a couple of minutes. I heard barking and whining, but figured it was one of the neighbours dogs - until I realized IT WAS FROM OUR FAMILY ROOM DOWNSTAIRS.

We went over to the stairs and confirmed we were hearing right. Going down, we saw an older medium-sized puppy. Our family room windows are at ground level, and one was open with just a screen between us and the elements. The dog had pushed hard enough on the screen to break off the snaps holding it to the frame. The crash we had heard was the screen falling down and the fan on the window sill being knocked off. Being scared, it had peed all over the (laminate) floor. We saw it hiding underneath Shannon's computer desk, pulling on various cables as it shifted around. It took us FOREVER to get it from under the desk - luckily, it was very good natured and only licked our hands instead of biting them. Its coat looked well maintained and clean and it had a collar on, but no tags.

We managed to get it out to the garage and closed the door to the house. Shannon couldn't get the garage door closed before the dog was back inside, sitting at the door to the house, looking up and wagging its tail. Anytime we tried to move it, it would give us slobbery kisses. Finally we got it outside and Shannon came back in the front door. The dog proceeded to scratch and bang at the (now closed) window.

By morning it had left - since it was healthy, I'm assuming (hoping) it was a neighbour's dog who just got loose and was attracted to the fact that we had a light on.

That night, it was bound and determined that we would be its new family. If it hadn't startled us so much out of a deep sleep, it might have gotten its wish.

The Hardship of Living in the Mountains

2005-10-11T20:08:00.000-05:00

I never used to think that where I grew up was flat. To the northeast, you could sometimes see the shadows of the Laurentian Mountains and could get to a ski hill in an hour (although the better ones were closer to 2 hours away). Across the St. Lawerance River stretched the outline of the Adirondacks. When I was in university, I lived on top of the Niagara Escarpment. More locally to my hometown, we had rolling hills.

When I go home now, it is so flat. Nestled in the Blue Ridge and Smokey Mountains, this area drives home that I really didn't know what rolling hills were. I love fall, and now that it is getting cooler, the leaves are slowly starting to change. We had a fairly dry September, so the colours will be muted, but still, the colourful quilt of autumn is taking over the hills.

Here's a pic I took last October driving down Unaka Mountain on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina (not too far from here).

I LOVE going to work

2005-10-07T10:51:00.000-05:00

Hmmmmm ... let me play with the font a little to convey the correct emphasis

I LOVE going to work. Not to be confused with loving work itself. Don't get me wrong - I generally like my job and work with some great people, but well, the hours are long and the appreciation isn't there like I'd like ... but I digress.

This time of year is wonderful for driving in. Of course, as I say that, it is a glum, dreary day. For the past week, however, it has been practically cloudless. I leave the house shortly before 8, breathing in deeply as I first step out of the front door. The air is crisp, unlike the more muggy days of summer. The trees on our property, some with berries, are just showing a hint of colour, teasing at the coming glory of the fall foliage.

Generally I take the interstate, but occasionally I take the back round in. Either way, I have to take a longish bridge across a river. The river cuts into the mountains, so that on either bank are masses of trees. If there are houses there (and there are), you can't quite see them. After a cool night, a mist rises off the water and hangs just above the slight valley it is in. It is just so peaceful and beautiful and is always a great way to start the day off. I wish I had a picture to post, but it is hard to get a good shot when you are driving 80 miles an hour.

Farewell, my friend

2005-10-04T19:59:00.000-05:00

Today marked the last day that my dear friend,
Jessie, was a member of our family. Perhaps there are some who would say that I shouldn't be affected by her departure - afterall, I haven't seen her in a year, since she lives with my parents in the Great White North. But the fact of the matter is, I probably won't get to see her again. (No, she is not dead, but I will explain in a moment).

Jessica was just a puppy when my brother took her off his boss's hands. Living on the 13th floor of a Toronto apartment with an owner who was gone 12 hours a day was not the best situation for a border collie-huskey-german sheppard. Things improved slightly when he moved into a house with a bunch of guys, but he was forced to keep her outside all day while he was gone to work.

My parents claimed they wouldn't help him out when he first got her, but when they met her, it was love at first sight. They offered to take her for a while while he got settled in his new house. Once she got to their place, that was it. She was Mommy's baby. (To the extent that I was told I was in the guest room, yet the sunroom was called "Jessie's room"). My parents are practical people - they love their pets, but never forgot they are pets. The dogs in the past were allowed in the house, but were restricted to only one room. Jess was different. She truly was a member of the family. Mom spoke to her like she was a child and it was a ritual that she watched tv with them in the evening (unless hockey was on - than she would get scared and hide since she knew Mom could get hyper) - dogs had previously been forbidden from being in the livingroom.

When I graduated university and was living/working at home while waiting on my immigration, Jessie was my bud. She'd sit with me while I'd chat on the computer - either laying at my feet or, especially when she sensed I was depressed, sitting with her head on my lap. She was a great listener too - never passed judgement. And it was rare that playing with her thick, soft fur couldn't make me feel better. She must have liked me somewhat too - when I did finally move out, she was depressed for a couple of months. moping outside my old bedroom and occasionally going inside and whining.

Mom and Dad moved last week. They left the 5 acre place in the country(ish) for a MUCH smaller place in town. Between moving into town and her behaviour with the guide-dogs-in-training that Dad works with now, they decided that it might be better to put her on a farm. We talked a lot about her coming here, but it wouldn't be fair with all the hours that I work and Shannon's unpredictable schedule. Plus Shannon and I are further apart on dog issues than we are on kids. In the end, the people who bought the old house took Jessie too. At least she can stay in her home with people she seems to like.

I will miss you, my dear friend.

Foreigners All Look Alike

2005-09-16T11:14:00.000-05:00

Not really, but I have no other excuse for going on a long tangent with a guy from the Netherlands who was someone completely different then who I thought he was.

Corporate Assumptions

2005-09-14T14:53:00.000-05:00

In front of me was a tall, cold Sobe Lean Green Tea, something I occasionally get when I stop at a convenience store. Added to the anticipation of this delicious drink was the large letters on the lid screaming "1 in 12 SCORES" Scores what? I don't know, but it would be cool to win. I unscrew the top, flip it over and ....

"YOU KNOW THE ROUTINE Please try again"

I know the routine? Hey Mr. Corporate Marketing Guy, you assuming that I am used to be a loser? Someone who has lost so many times that I don't bat an eyelash at yet another twist top dashing my dreams?

You don't have to rub it in.

Jumping the Season

2005-09-11T21:11:00.000-05:00

It used to be that Christmas Season would start after Hallowe'en. (I'm not talking Christmas shopping - that is a year round process, but primarily finishing mid-summer). We'd actually have a fall. Once Labour Day was over, the harvest decorations would come out and the stores would be adorned with pumpkins and scarecrows. Coloured paper leaves would be everywhere and you could also taste the turkey you knew would be coming before long. (Oh, and for the record, Thanksgiving is the second Monday in October). By the end of September, the black cats, witches hats and jack-o-laterns would join the turkeys, pilgram hats and pumpkins in a blend of Octobery holidays. There were plenty of decorations and costumes and festivals to go around, and no one felt the need to add snowmen and Santa Clause into the mix. On November 1st, the candy would go on sale and glaringly fake evergreens would pop up with their limbs covered in a plethora of ornaments and powdery snow.

When I moved to the States, the transition was a little more gradual, but this was to be expected with Thanksgiving a month and a half later. Still, you'd have time to enjoy all the decorative gourds of fall and the walls covered in Hallowe'en fun before it was time to immerse yourself in the winter spirit. And, by the way, fall decorations started when fall was imminent.

I don't know if it has been creeping up on me or if this year is just more glaringly obvious, but stores are rushing the seasons more than ever. July 4th was not yet passed with the fall decorations were out in the craft stores. Fall? We'd only had summer for 2 weeks! Labor Day was on the horizon when I saw the first, not Hallowe'en, but Christmas decorations in the store. Just a hint, but definitely there. Still a third of a year until Christmas.

Today is Sept 11th. 3 1/2 months until Christmas. Cracker Barrel is having a sidewalk sale in our 85 F weather to make room for the Christmas fodder. You get confused when you walk in the store - if your head is slightly to the right, you are greeted with warm apple pie candles and sprays and all kinds of lovely things to make you ready for the changing of the leaves, but if your head is slightly to the left, you are fully immersed in Christmas.

Don't get me wrong. I love Christmas. It's my favourite holiday. But there is too much of a good thing. It is technically still summer, people! I don't want to be sick of Christmas long before it gets here! Maybe this is how they are going to phase out Christmas (since some people are bound and determined to do that) - get us so used to seeing it at all the wrong times of the year that we won't associate it with Dec 25th. Old St. Nick can finally retire and we don't have to worry about offending someone by wishing them Merry Christmas.

I could go for some egg nog, though ....

New Hot Destination Vacation

2005-09-11T11:32:00.000-05:00

***Warning: Shameless plug ahead***

My baby brother had returned to school in the last couple of years to pursue a variety of environmental diplomas/degrees/certifications. This is a far cry from the electronics technician he was before. About 6 years ago, he went to Australia for some fun and adventure and instead found out that he was someone completely different than what he thought.

He returned to Toronto after a year and returned to the job repairing taxi cab meters and radios, but did not return to his former state of mind. At first, it was merely the travel bug that he was afflicted with, but after a 6 week trip to South/Central America, he had also grown sick of city life. Thus, he headed back to college less than 2 years ago.

This summer, he and his girlfriend got jobs working at a hostel/lodge in Algonquin Park. When summer drew to a close and classes once again beckoned, he was reluctant to leave his wilderness paradise. But how to remedy this? Ah ha! Let's negotiate a way to buy the place!

http://www.wolfdenbunkhouse.com/

WOLF DEN BUNKHOUSE 'N CABINS

So boys and girls, if you are wanting to vacation in beautiful Ontario, but are not wanting to spend ALL your time in Toronto/Ottawa/Niagara Falls, program mappoint or your GPS for Huntsville. Situated northeast of Toronto and northwest of Ottawa and in the heart of paradise (I know because I honeymooned not too far from there), Wolf Den allows you to experience the wild beauty of Canada with relative ease. Whether you are a backpacker looking for a hostel for the night or a group of people wanting time away from the rat race, Wolf Den has something for you.

New Location!

2005-09-10T20:10:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my new home. MSN was fine and dandy, and I liked that it let people know when I've updated, BUT unless you had an MSN passport account, you couldn't post. Even if you have hotmail, that didn't count. Besides, I hope this is an easier address to remember.

So bienvenue!

(to catch up: http://spaces.msn.com/members/JaneyBobBillySue)