Monday, December 31, 2007

Right on the crack...

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Happy New Year!


From CTV.ca, Associated Press, Chiang Ying ying, these fireworks are coming off of the tallest building in Taipei - Taipei 101 and currently the tallest skyscraper.

Best wishes for 2008!

(BC 150th Birthday)

Friday, December 28, 2007

250

I'm here posting my 250th post on the eve of my 31st birthday. I haven't watched the news since I went on holidays. I've caught snips and snipes of it, but I haven't really paid attention. Then yesterday I was compelled to start listening. I don't know if any of you are following the news, but if you have you've likely heard that the opposition leader of Pakistan was assassinated. Her name was Benazir Bhutto. I've been reading about her since her return to Pakistan in October. Why should you care? As small as one of our voices is, she was heard! She was heard and she was only one. I think we all need to start focusing on the pride points in our lives and make contributions. Slough off all the bull shit. Slough it. I say this and I will struggle with it, but it must be done. Take a minute to google Bhutto, learn about something that might encourage you to be great, in small and big ways.

Stupid me, I also chose to read about the murders on Christmas Eve in Seattle. What the hell kind of world do we live in? What is wrong with human kind? What kind of hope can we have for our children or any children when we have these things occuring in our communities and when our media chooses to focus on them?

(End scene)

New scence
A bench rests under a window and a girl sits looking out the window. Thinking. Pondering. Remembering.

So here I am sitting on the door step of 31, what gems of wisdom/thoughts can I share?

1) Love; its important, if you don't have it, find it, if you do hold on to it and embrass it
2) Children make your life better and put all things into perspective
3) Life is constructed in a manner that when you do something negative it will one day come back and bite you, maybe just a nip, maybe it will take out your whole ass
4) Life is also constructed in a manner that when you do something positive it will also effect the course of your life
5) Birthdays are only another day of the year, every day should be celebrated
6) Family is everything, even if they bother you and do things that do not match up with what you think is right - see #3 and 4
7) If you have had pets you know that every day you make a point of acknowledging the pet, a simple ear rub, a scratch - do this same small thing for your spouse - acknowledge them, love them, encourage them
8) I like the number eight...
9) Falling behind sucks - avoid it
10) Listen to people - stop what you are doing and when they stop talking repeat back the message, make sure you understood what they shared with you - it will take longer - but what are you rushing life for - it is short, make time to make a difference
11) Be respectiveful - always
12) Everyone can do something
13) Email and blogging should be a glimpse into who you are - don't give it all away
14) Phone people - there was a time before cell phone texting, and email and chat rooms - it is only laziness that drives the internet forward
15) Giving up will leave you with a life time of regret
16) I am far more sensitive then I was a year ago or ten years ago, I'm learning to live with that.
17) True friendship is hard to come by.
18) Entertainers are overpaid and the entire medical system is underpaid and under appreciated.
19) It is easier to give advice than to take it.
20) Drinking makes the pain dull, but causes it to throb the next day and doesn't solve problems.
21) If you put your mind to it all things are possible.
22) Lies are bad. Avoid them. Ask why you are telling a lie.
23) Gossip is bad. Avoid it. Get the facts. Learn. Be intelligent. It is harder to do, but why be lazy.
24) I love my family.
25) Digital cameras are nice, but if you don't make use of the photos you took, you might as well not have taken the photos in the first place.
26) Learning about nature and getting out to see the Cariboo was one of the best things I could have done for myself, and I only saw a glimpse. It has inspired me to see more.
27) Your physical and mental state are very important. Value your body, show it appreciation by eating well and using it - in all of the many fabulous ways it can be used.
28) You can buy all the crap in the world, but it will stay here when you die. Remember possessions can not hold your hand, love you, sing to you, smile at you, laugh, or anything else. This is a tough one for me and something I'm trying to learn.
29) Technically, my list should be ending here because I promised I would just continue to celebrate my 29th... I'm ok with the number changing though.
30) Enjoy work, and if you don't, start looking for ways to make your work better (on your own) or find new work, see #15.
31) See #1, repeat.

Friday, December 21, 2007

home again jiggity jig

We made it back from PG. Uneventful trip - Costco made some good moola off of us, yet again. And now I sit up waiting for my brothers arrival from Port Hardy. I'm assuming at this point that he made his 3pm ferry and should be here soon... especially the way he drives.

I also wanted to post that... what the heck - it's -19... it was beautiful this afternoon - I was actually thinking to myself how beautiful it would be to get out and do some cross country skiing - and since the sun went down I've been watching the temperature plummet. -19 now at 1am.. what about in another 2 hours... what about another 6... we are nearly at the mid point of the year and days will once again get longer - HOORAY! but tonight at -19 I wonder what the next few days will actually be.

ok - I'm going to do something productive while I wait for my brother - night all

Thursday, December 20, 2007

home again... well kind of

Tuesday was an extra long driving day for us. We left late from Richmond because we knew that we'd be driving in the dark no matter what time we left the lower mainland. So we took our time and I got thirsty at Boston Bar and my eyes needed a break because the roads had gone in the crapper as soon as we left Hope. I'm grabbing a drink and the lady tells me the highway is closed - just closed it - then as I'm leaving she updates with a minimum six hour wait because there has been a fatality. With that I loop back and turn us around. We ended up taking the Coquihalla - not great - the roads actually weren't too bad to the top, lots of snow but people were mindful of each other and because it is a climb most the rigs just get in a line and don't try to pass much. We get to the top and its a whole different story. Not 2km from the tollbooth we come to our first accident and police officer. He tells us to slow down through the accidents and that the roads are slick all the way to Merritt. BLAH! We passed four accidents from the top to about 30 km from the top and then just took our time down.

And then it was another 5 1/2 hours from Merritt home. We stopped at Merritt and then we stopped in Williams Lake at Tim Hortons around midnight - took in some of the night life in WL - and waited about 20 minutes to get tea and some treats to keep us awake for the rest of the drive.

Then yesterday we had to come to PG. We'll be back in Quesnel this afternoon - just doing a little shopping this morning, lunch and then heading home.

I'm definitely looking forward to this weekend and just taking it easy... oh and on the kitchen front the counter top is going to be another few weeks - extra blah! - at least jan 10 and then who really knows... not the end of the world - I'm not making turkey dinner this year - headed to nazko for that... of course as a result cookie production is way down - in fact zero to date...

Sunday, December 16, 2007

the concert

Last night was my first concert since Great Big Sea in university. We were in the upper deck, and funny enough, at the back of the building where I saw my first Canucks game live. Hedley opened and they were pretty good. I confess that I didn't know all of their songs, but I knew three, not bad.

And then we found ourselves inside the church of bon jovi with 17,000 singing strong. It was amazing! They played for nearly three hours and had multiple encores. The old stuff was great - Living on Prayer, Wanted dead or alive, Bad Medicine. I would have liked to hear Bed of Roses - but they had to leave some new stuff for tonight, as they are rocking out again tonight in Vancouver - and hear there are still tickets... definitely worth it and if I'd had an idea they were going to be that good I would have paid more and been closer.

We've cut our trip short, so we will be back in Quesnel on Tuesday night now. Headed to the aquarium on Monday and doing a couple of other things - today is pretty low key - a little shopping and work this morning and then back to Richmond to cook turkey dinner. I hope everyone is taking it easy and not getting beat up in a mall with masses trying to buy gifts. Take a minute for yourself - remember the reason you are buying gifts is because you love the people you are buying for and how much they love you and maybe that will help you see that maybe a gift isn't what you needed to buy for them... will they remember the money you spent on them or the way you spent your time together.

And I finished Potter! Record time for me. Should you read it? Well if you've read all the others I'd be surprised if you haven't already - I'm old and taking too long to read anything these days. Read them, enjoy the story and pass them on to children who will enjoy the growth of characters over 7 years and who will greatly appreciate them. Ok - off to do some work before we had to the mall.

Friday, December 07, 2007

pity

it is -25 here and only going to get colder tonight
please send blankets... and warm thoughts in our direction

coldest winter in 15 years... how about coldest winter ever... yes, thanks - global warming... right... except canada - THANK YOU!

Saturday, December 01, 2007

sick

This is a new one for me. I've had pneumonia, colds and flus. Now I've got something I've never had before and it is super painful. It feels like I have something stuck in my throat and everytime I swallow I aggrevate it. It hurts bad enough that I'm not getting alot of sleep at night, because I wake up everytime I swallow.... ok so that was my post 48 hours ago and now it is sunday night and I'm sitting here and feel far far far less pain. I ended up escorting myself to the walk-in clinic yesterday afternoon and the doc decided I had a throat infection... hooray - got some strong drugs and they are apparently having some kind of effect on this bacterial germ in my throat.

I'm definitely taking a sick day tomorrow. Time to recover and sleep in the day if I feel like it. Plus my voice is in no condition to answer phones or even talk to people. We did manage to decorate our christmas tree today - hooray - beautiful - boys had a great time and helped a lot this year.

Friday, November 30, 2007

gggggggreat

Your Elf Name Is...

Ditzy Cartwheels

freezer, aisle 3



So here I am out in the cold. This is a photo of one of the lucky winners of our christmas contest.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

extra dose of procrastination

I should totally be doing work right now.... but I just am not in the mood. Instead I wish to share my newest cd favs (note to Paula - I haven't forgotten about your cd... I am working on it and plan to bring to Vancouver in just 16 more days) right now (alright I'm queen of the lame) I'm working out to the Lord of the Rings soundtrack (light and airy music, not the death stuff on the soundtrack), Ratatouille (orchestral jazz), the Incredibles (orchestral jazz), and Happy Feet.

I went to a meeting earlier this year and we were asked to tell the group something no one know about us and I decided to share that I have happy feet and there was a lot of "what the hell does that mean". I guess I should have tried using that at meeting with people under the age of 40 who have kids or at least semi familiar with the world of pixar and disney... I guess I should have also been lame and said something people already knew about me like every other ass in the room. (Alright inside voice, that is enough for tonight... 'master, please let me out to play', sorry not now... patience 'yes, patience master, thank you')

the earth

Today someone suggested another tale of peak oil for me to read. Most of the stuff I've read is doom and gloom and get out your candles because that's the only source of light we are going to have in the future and really we should all just be bucking wood up here and storing it because eventually the only light will come from the fire we sit beside at night.

This book is different. It has history and me, who tried to get a history degree, finds interesting and, me, who likes steven king and the way he interconnects books with characters, has found a commonality with this book. I'm still reading it (that's right kiddies I've actually read 30 pages in one work out - and it was an intelluctual read so that is damn near amazing) and hopefully it will continue to be a good story. So far the best thing I've picked up out of it is that one of us has the answer to this energy "crisis". That an answer is out there and it will come in our darkest hour. The book outlines the history of energy and how societies have forged ahead because of supply demands and that this has created new sources. Sounds like a lot of common sense, but if it so easy why hasn't the new way come up sooner. The next multi-billionaires are in our mist - it could be someone reading this, it could be me if I could just figure out how this darn inter-net-a-ma-thing worked. (ha - I actually have entrepreneurial thought and have invented things - albeit too late or without resources to implement the idea...)

Let us all take a moment to be inspired and dream a bit, in the words of willy wonka "invention, my dear friends, is 93% perspiration, 6% electricity, 4% evaporation and 2% butterscotch ripple". You're right, that had nothing to do with anything... ok - now you are ready to search the corners of your mind, sweep out the cobwebs and see the idea that will save us all from the hype of having no energy to run our vehicles, that transport our food, that build our homes and power our televisions and computers. So are you worried? Is the end closer than we even have a clue of, if the internet died tomorrow because the computers had no power would we just crawl into the corner and die, or would we go outside and play?

This rant has been brought to you by the letter 't' and the number 8.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

reload

The cabinets are installed - hooray! No doors yet, but I'm loading all of our crap back into them now. Not an enjoyable job! Plus so many decisions - where should stuff go... blah! Smelly fozzy is still with us - mom and dad should be here to pick him up in the next few hours - hopefully. My trip to Nazko today was pretty boring - the craft fair was done early so I missed it and didn't even see any wildlife. We ate mom and dad's cheese and crackers - that was the highlight - I know, ultra lame - oh I better take this darn dog out.. arg! barky-bartakamoose..

Saturday, November 24, 2007

neige

It snowed today - first since the last time I mentioned it - 4 inches today

I'm dog sitting "fozzy bear" (parents) pomerian... he pants so loud - I just want to lock him downstairs tonight but then he will bark his little head off - the kids love having him around and it really makes me want to get a little dog - but it is completely out of the question - I know we don't have time for another animal in our office. Two kids is more than enough thank you - god his breath is so bad - he is three feet from me on the floor and I can smell him... blah! I should offer him some scope!

I bought some gear to keep me warm last night and I wanted to share them because they are awesome...

First - socks - they are very warm and mine came with a cute little penguin at the top of them - $9.99 at Mark's Work Wearhouse and right now they are 50% for the second pair plus an additional 20% off both pairs during their sales event...



Ok - so then I bought these hot little numbers... toasterz



Inside these little packs are a stainless steel invention that creates some kind of chemical reaction causing the pack to harden and warm (I know we've all heard that before...) They can be used over and over again - you have to boil the pack and it resets the stainless steel thing and then you just click on the stainless steel thing when you need them and it starts all over - I had mine last night out in the cold and they definitely worked. I had them exposed to the cold, in my pockets and sitting on the table -I tossed one between my hands and ended up using both and putting them in my pockets so my hands had a warm place to go... with the interaction of exposure to cold and then in my pockets they conducted heat for at least 45 minutes, if not an hour - if I'd just kept them in my gloves I think they would have lasted longer. These little babies cost $10.99 at Mark's and I'd definitely recommend them for others to try out if you are going on any kind of outdoor excursions this winter.

Tomorrow I'm off to Nazko to check on the other dogs while my parents are in Vancouver - that's right my dad actually left the north - first time in more than 15 years (easily)... I still can't believe they went - they called me from their hotel room like two little kids - 'there's internet, and we are on the 7th floor and dad says he can see metro town..' plus additional details - down for a day - they come back tomorrow night - crazy - but their pooches need chow between now and then so I'm jetting out tomorrow - it also happens to be the Nazko Craft Fair so hopefully I'll have time to visit and see what crafts they've made out there this year.

Friday, November 23, 2007

thank you for warm water

Ok - warming up - showering was a great idea... I'm finding out now that my face got some frost bite or wind burn 'cause damn it hurts now...

um... brrrrrr

So good old work tonight involved sitting outside in minus ten for a christmas campaign - I wasn't really that cold while I was sitting/standing outside - after 2.5 hours (outside for 3.5 hours in total) my feet started to send the single that it was too cold - I wrapped them with a blanket and nice newspaper photographer felt bad for me and gave me a camping seat (foam) to stand on - which actually helped a lot! Now and hour later I'm freezing - I guess I'm finally unthawing and parts are starting to ache... blah... I think it's time for a warm shower or bath...

It was a fun night - we had people pick up keys at businesses and then they had to try their luck at a lock - three people won (there were five keys that worked - out of hundreds) and hundreds lost... what was fun was the expression on the faces of the winners - they couldn't even believe it - one winner started jumping up and down and then says what did I win - so I say - well you need to pick from one of these envelopes - so she and her husband go back and forth on which number to pick - they pick up one and she says - oh it feels empty - and I say -well it is because I haven't put the $1,000 in it - and then it was on - 'shut up - are you kidding me.." and then she's hugging her husband and jumping up and down going nuts - it was very funny!

Ok - I'm going to go warm up - hope everyone has a great weekend! It's the first Christmas Farmers' Market tomorrow - hooray!

Thursday, November 22, 2007

the kitchen

Day 22... things are going alright - but we had a bit of a challenge in the project. The floor has been in for a couple of days now and the half of the cabinets are installed - my dad came over to help and while he was there Andy had him move in the stove and fridge. Unfortunately the fridge didn't go in as gently as was planned... my dad's side gouged out the floor .... the brand new floor - and now there is nothing that you can do - he hasn't even talked to me about it - or mom and they've definitely had the chance... a - hey sorry 'bout that - would have been nice... nothing - but I know that it's probably my fault... 'why did you install a floor that could be so easily wrecked', 'why did i even get a new floor', 'why did i buy this house'... it really could go on...

in 1995 i had a new (new to me) car and I'd parked in the turn around of our driveway - pretty common practice at the house so other people could come and go as they needed to - one day my mom and dad got in the truck and left and my dad back straight into my car - i cried and had a melt down, but i was the one in trouble - what the hell was i parking there for - and why was my mom blabbin' to my dad while he was trying to drive... 12 years later and I'm still whining about that one.. I'm sure I'll be whining about my floor for just as long...

So what happened with the floor - well the guy came in and said 'oh that happens..." NO SHIT! I'm glad they mentioned how easy it was to cause damage when we were buying the damn thing.. any how he re-sticks it down and then glues it - you can't really see the blip in the floor - but if you are right over you'd see it - I guess it's just one of those things....

What it puts into perspective for me is relationships? If that had been a floor guy, or really - anyone other than my dad the shit would have hit the fan, the wall and probably someone outside! But because it was my dad who I have all the respect in the world floor nothing was said - and it makes me wonder if I shouldn't be treating everyone that way. Not to jump on people for the slightest of things - maybe this is an opportunity to learn something... we'll see...

The whole situation did give me a pretty bad case of terets - 5...4...3..2..1.. launch the f-bomb, load the a-hole bomb... alright now the f-bomb times three plus a kiss my a@#... and it kept creeping up on me - I'd think I was done cursin' and it would be on me again.

Friday, November 16, 2007

the tree

I arrive and, of course, initially have no helpers. I get going on "fluffing" the tree. This took about 15 minutes. Then I brought extra lights (the only person in the competition to do this...) - this took another 15 minutes.... I can't believe how long wiring and everything else takes - plus I was rushing...

I started loading in the extra boughs (purple, pink, blue) a helper areas - a local designer - she helps me load the rest of the tree - I don't know if I'd finished on time without her. I'm not in love with it - it is WAY to girlie girl for me. The second we started adding the dragonflies we started getting questions though. I must have answered the "where did you get that" question 15 times. Maybe more. My helper just laughed every time someone asked, because I answered like it was the first time someone had asked.

I think there will be a good battle over our tree at the auction in two weeks and that we will have done a good job for the hospital (fundraiser for new labour bed).



Wednesday, November 14, 2007

help... again :)

Tomorrow night I'm decorating a tree for the local festival of trees competition. Some of the gear I was hoping would be here didn't show and now the tree needs help. The theme is dragon flies but a bunch of them didn't show up or did and looked like they'd come out of an old ladies 1980's garden display of useless crap... think of bright pink nylons wrapped on a net made to look like a dragonfly with added crap on the side... so those were a no go because the rest of the stuff looks too good and that would just drag the look down.

I'm considering placing snowflakes on the tree, with the dragonflies. I've posted the photos below and am just looking for second/third/fourth opinion on it. Does it go? Do you have suggestions for putting them together? I'm decorating in less than 24 hours so any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.


This is a small blue crystal dragonfly.


Small clear crystal dragonfly.


Blue snowflake - a large one of these might act as the topper as well... not sure - could also go with a white/silver one as well.


5" long clear dragonfly


Branch filler - there are small flowers and butterflys on the branches...

the book

Last night I went for a walk with my book on the treadmill - made it through 80 pages in an hour - I know - that is a terrible average - it's no wonder that I could hardly get through my university classes... my biggest problem with reading is that I like to take in every word and understand it thoroughly - I also like to pronouce things as I'm reading... I'm retarded - I know.

With 80 pages gone I decided to finish the rest before I went to bed. I ended up reading until 1:20am. It's done. It had 658 pages and now I'm on to Potter - not sure if I will crack it tonight or not... don't want to get too into it. I do want to know what happens though. That doesn't mean anyone needs to spoil it for me... thank you :)

So what of the book? Well as a long time King reader I would say it is better than a bunch, but not as complex as some. I loved the Stand - definitely in my top ten for favorite books. I wouldn't place this in the top ten - Lisey's Story - but it was a good read. The relationship between a husband and wife written in a different style - one that I enjoyed because I write like that - or have thought about writing the way he wrote this book - he will be writing about a past event and then it flips to the next chapter in present tense following off from where he started to explain the past event. There is gore, but not nearly as bad as his other books. There is one scene in it that nearly made me quite reading because it was so vivid and just made me feel like I didn't (shouldn't) want to read anymore if that was going to be the rest of the book - not as bad as the unicorn section of "Not wanted on the voyage" by Findley (another fav author - Canadian) but it ranks up there.

The other book I'm reading tonight is "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld (yes, Jerry's wife) about cooking for kids. Oprah profiled it a couple of weeks ago. My super wonderful Aunti Jenni ordered me the book (early b-day present - THANK YOU!) and after a few weeks of back order it arrived today. I'm going to read through some of it tonight - but I will likely start Potter.

And speaking of not doing anything any more - I think I might be done with ER. What the hell happened in the last episode? What is wrong with those writers? I found that scene at the end uncomfortable to watch- why, why, why would they do that? That can't be getting the ratings up. It might as well been a rape and I just thought it was in bad taste and poor judgement - me a faithful (ok except for about a year) viewer of ER. Not to mention - eeewwwwwww - come on she's got the hottest man on the show in the sack and she goes after that... WHAT? WHAT..... WHAT?? I don't care if she was lonely, and drunk... did anyone feel like she was drugged... is that where this is going? Ok - good night... tomorrow night I'm decorating a tree in the local festival of trees competition - I'll have photos to share late tomorrow night.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

tear jerker

I'm casually flipping through channels - getting ready for bed - when I come across Fried Green Tomatoes. I loved this movie years ago - loved it - but I really haven't watched it in a long time - probably since university anyways - so nine or ten years... now if you haven't seen it I won't ruin it for you but it definitely has some sad parts to it. Man did I cry. Holy - the whole film means a different thing to me now. Now I've been through some loss, had kids, and aspects of the movie just make me cry - and not that little cry, that whole aching chest, sobbing cry... I wasn't loud about it - but gees...

Alright - I'm off to read 'Lizy's story' - I broke through page 500 last night - its 630+ pages long...

Monday, November 12, 2007

new floor

So we have a new floor - amazing - it stinks (glue stench) but that will go away - it means that I can actually cook tomorrow night - which is AWESOME! I didn't realize how much I depended on the stove - let alone the oven... and microwave cooking - BLAH! I don't know how anyone could survive like that - I'd rather cook over a fire.

Phase one is complete - now we have some telephone issues and I'm not sure how we will proceed. There is some mudding and painting that needs to happen - so maybe we can start the cabinet install this coming weekend

I will share all of the photos (before and after) once everything is completed...

Phone calls - please note that my phone is on and off - if you need me my cell is the best way until the 19th - we've got some rewiring that needs to happen and that's the soonest they could come... and thanks telus for not being a responsible enough company to get your staff to make appointments - I can get an arrival time for chinese take out but not from a multi-million dollar company - maybe you should pay me for the day I have to waste sitting around for your sorry employees to have to show up! ASSES! I should also get compensated for the additional day I'll likely have to wait when I get some sad excuse from your staff that they weren't booked properly and blah-d-frickin-blah-blah... if I pulled this shit on my customers they'd say - sorry but we don't want to have your services anymore, but alas my phone line is tied in a knot and the best I can do is stop using their long distance plan.... (That's right phone bill payers we know we are taking advantage of you and all you can do it complain - we don't care - you are up in the north, your cell service sucks so you can't just switch over to that - and we know it - and we don't care - did I say that we don't care - wait - sing it- we don't care... - insert dr.evil laugh)

Sunday, November 11, 2007

the mist

Back in the day - grade 10 ish - I was introduced to Steven King - life changing really - numerous sleepless nights - numerous ah-ha moments pulling together all the fine fibres woven through multiple books - today i see they've turned 'the mist' into a film - the novella was terrifying for me - it still haunts me - i'm still scared of fog - ok i'm scared of fog but sometimes when i see fog rolling in i think about this terrifying novel - i'm sure like most of the steven king films it won't be as good as the book - althought it would be pretty hard to screw up and they could definitely make it scary...

I'm still reading 'liz's story' - I know - I'm a slow reader - I only get to read 10 or so pages a night... I'm hoping to finish it up this week - it has has scary moments and the remainder of the book has kept my interest - it is a good story about a husband and wife... looking forward to the ending... then I need to get it together and read the last 'potter'

ok - back to watchin' bon jovi on SNL -

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

a draw



At the count of ten we're gonna draw and then we'll see who gets all the nuts.


(A crazy Richmond squirrel, summer 2007)

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

tonight

much better
less crazy
less sad
enjoying a slurpee
thank you hunky husband

kitchen renovation still happening
new floor starts tomorrow

jen - paper copy is coming tomorrow

Monday, November 05, 2007

a year

In the past year Michael has had his first birthday, Kyle has turned five, I (gulp) turned 30, Andrew completed his paramedic training and yet sometimes it doesn't feel like it has been a day since my grandma passed away.

If you read her earlier tonight you would have seen my mad and angry and sad post... I deleted it - too upsetting... sorry for those who might have read it... I'm ok - I just needed a vent - I did it and now it has been released...

This is a photo of me and my grandma from 1998...

Saturday, November 03, 2007

a survey

I Fear…

[.5] the dark
[ ] staying single forever
[ ] being a parent
[ ] giving birth
[ ] being myself in front of others
[ ] open spaces
[ ] closed spaces
[ ] heights
[ ] black cats
[ ] dogs
[ ] birds
[ ] fish
[ .5] spiders
[ ] flowers or other plants
[ ] being touched
[ ] fire
[ ] deep water
[ ] lakes
[ ] silk
[ .5] the ocean
[ ] failure
[ ] success
[ ] thunder/lightning
[ ] frogs/toads
[ ] my boyfriends/girlfriends dad
[ ] my boyfriends/girlfriends mom
[ ] mice/rats
[1] jumping from high places
[ ] snow
[ ] rain
[ ] wind
[ ] crossing hanging bridges
[1] death
[ ] heaven
[ ] being robbed
[ ] falling
[ ] clowns
[1] large crowds of people
[ ] men
[ ] women
[ ] having great responsibilities
[ ] doctors, including dentists
[ ] tornadoes
[ ] hurricanes
[ ] incurable diseases
[ ] snakes
[ ] sharks
[ ] Friday the 13th
[ ] ghosts
[ ] poverty
[ ] Halloween
[ ] school
[ ] trains
[ ] odd numbers
[ ] even numbers
[ ] being alone
[ ] becoming blind
[ ] becoming deaf
[ ] growing up
[ ] monsters under my bed (as in scary people)
[ ] creepy noises in the night
[ ] bee stings
[ ] not accomplishing my dreams/goals
[ ] needles
[ ] blood
[ ] dinosaurs if they were alive
[ ] the welcome mat
[ ] high speeds
[ .5] throwing up
[ ]falling in love

My Total: 5 - I wouldn't say I'm fearless - I also completed this survey on a happy evening... chatting with Keefe about BON JOVI!



If you get more than 30 I strongly recommend some counseling!

IF you get more than 20 you’re paranoid.

If you get 10-20 then u are normal.

If you get 10 or less you’re fearless.

People who don’t have any are lying!

Thursday, November 01, 2007

the book

For those that have been looking at the book - I need to get feedback by the end of the week - sorry to pressure you - I'm trying to be clear of the whole project by next week... thank you! :)

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

happy halloween









An evening of fun for us all - boys had a great time out and Andy lit some fireworks for us.... hope everyone else had a safe and good time tonight!

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

to get you in the mood for halloween...

So here are our family pumpkins for 2007! Enjoy :)


T-Rex



Decepticon Logo (What's that... Transformers....)



Autobot Logo (again, transformers)

Sunday, October 28, 2007

the book

so here is the draft book - it is over 5 MB so you have to download it from the site - if anyone wants to check it out then please do and email me feedback - aakcheng@telus.net

http://downloads.southhillgraphics.ca/City_of_Quesnel/

work

So here is another project I'm working on - www.moosemeadowsfarm.ca - I'm not the original site developer, but now I manage it and make all the new pages. fun fun fun.. if you want a wreath for your door/house for christmas or if you want some unique Cariboo delicacy you should definitely check the site (dandylion jelly, honey, birch syrup) - you can place orders for all of their products...

carmen - watch your email for a link from me.... if you have time - I know you are back in PG... so if you don't have time to look at the book I'll understand

Friday, October 26, 2007

a view from the top



This is at 4,400 ft above Quesnel. In the distance is Dragon Lake - this is taken from the west side of the Fraser River. Top of Milburn Lake Mtn. The puddles were iced over and winter is definitely on its way... brrrrr was it cold!

hike

One last hike and I'm finishing up the book tonight - as far as actual writing and hiking - HOORAY! I can't flaming wait!

I'll share photos tonight from the peak :)

Thursday, October 25, 2007

face in the garden


One of my fav photos from this past summer of clicking.

This is from Edgewood Farm, a beautiful gift shop on a turn of the century farm. The gardens are amazing and they also have strawberries in August for picking. If you come to Quesnel it's definitely worth a visit and if you ask 'pretty' I might even take you :)

sleep

found small amount of motivation at bottom of cup - short lived - overwhelming urge to sleep is now winning battle... one more night of too much work and then... well then i get to work on my course work for my degree... WHAT - why did I sign up for a course this semester - oh and my web work but I don't think of that as work as much - time consuming - yes - learning and fun yes... plus I get paid for that too... ok - eyes closing - night

lost

not under couch

took detour and ended up in hot shower...

hopefully motivation will be at bottom of tea cup

april's tea - white lemon misto
(1 tsp lemon honey from honeyshop.ca, 1/4 cup steamed 2% milk, 3/4 cup hot water - stir - drink - mmmmm)

motivation

must find motivation
trying to find some

must be under the couch - going to look there

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

book book book

So anyone feel like proofing my book? I should have a draft in a couple of days if there are any takers let me know.

Friday, October 19, 2007

camera cord found...


This is a chainsaw carving that my dad did for mom. That's love when a man carves that anywhere for you.


This is Michael appreciating the first of two cakes celebrating Kyle's birthday.


Here are Michael and Kyle on Kyle's birthday. We had a crocodile cake.


This is the cool toy that aunti mel got Kyle for his birthday. Michael loves it.... Kyle likes it too...


This is my brother, loving mashed potatoes.


Here are the boys in front my parents hand-placed rock wall at the new house.


You guessed, a grasshopper.


The boys and granny on a 4-wheeler - good times. I took Michael on a tootle after.


Here is my parents house - the exterior is nearly complete...


What is this? Spiders have eight legs...

brrrrrr

On Thursday morning my furnace stopped turning on - well it would turn on and then turn off and turn on and turn off over and over... I check the simple things and then, due to paranoia, I turn the thermostat off. I call a furnace place once I get to work. I explain the problem after all that she says - we actually aren't taking on any new clients. rrright... So I have meetings and this has been hell week - so I call another place at lunch - and get put on the wait list - I'm number 50. I talk to my brother last night and he suggests another place - so I call this morning and get told November 19. Thanks! So ms string puller (me) calls my chamber buddy and ask - hey - do you know what I should do? she gives me a PG number and says she will ask around... the place that listed me as #50 calls me back and says they can come on their way home - great - I'm pretty sure this is all as a result of my whining to the chamber... any way - a hundred bucks later, one new filter, some dial adjusting and testing and it flicks on... while he is packing up and taking a call it runs - I don't know when it shut off - I think it was about 20 minutes after he left... maybe less - it hasn't come back on - my thermostat is saying it should be 19 but that it is 17 - so maybe the pilot light is out - I don't even know how to start that - I feel like such a dull knife on this - so we are back in the land of cold - I'm sitting in blankets typing - my bed has extra blankets and I have our one function heater in the boys room.. BLAH! SO I guess I'll be calling back in tomorrow. He said as he was leaving that if there was anything wrong as a result of what he did he'd come back for free... hope that stands up. :) - WHERE ARE THE PHOTOS?... I know I know...

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

foreshadow

I guess I shouldn't have said anything about being sick and hoping I wasn't coming down with something... just another 8 hours later I was praying to bathroom gods. Man I was sick! Now it could have been food poisoning or just whatever is going around... today I'm feeling blah but managed to drag myself into work... I tried to sleep all day yesterday which means my poor husband had to drive himself to PG and now he is probably coughing up a lung worried about his test tomorrow...

We are holding up ok today. Kyle started to get sick last night, but managed to get back to sleep without throwing up. Tonight we just taking it easy. Toast and cheese dinner, grapes, tea... milk :)

Anyway - hope I recover soon - with any luck I may actually load some photos tonight.. just need to find my cord...

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

stats

I decided it was time to update my stat counter tonight and was shocked at the number of visitors I've had since March. Even in this month alone I've had more than 300 individual hits... crazy... so to everyone visiting - thanks... you've given me a renewed motivation to post...

and on that note I'm going to bed - whatever is going around my house is terrible... michael threw up in his sleep last night - fabulous - that's something you won't find the joy of parenting - the smell of vomitus macaroni and cheese - dear lord - it has completely turned me off of pasta... blah - he was feeling a million times better today - it was like whatever it was left with the macaroni - on my damned CARPET! ARG! ARG! triple ARG! I don't know if it is dealing with barfy cheese or what but I definitely did not feel good today - hopefully I'll be back to "normal" tomorrow

oh and cross your fingers, toes, make some prayers... whatever works for you - andy goes for licensing on Thursday - he leaves tomorrow for Van - he doesn't need luck - but he does need positive thoughts :) thank you positive thought network... ok - good night

Oh - I also wanted to say something about Gore getting the peace prize - but can't get it out right - so here is the short of it - 1) what the hell 2) when did the nobel prize become a popularity contest (2 popularity contests won, 1 prize - wait that math doesn't add up...)

Monday, October 15, 2007

HHHOOOOOORRRAAYYYYYYYY!



Where will we be on December 15 with thousands of others? That's right ladies and gentleman we are going to Bon Jovi!
HHHHHHHOOOOOOORRRRRRRRAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Sunday, October 14, 2007

kyle's bday

so I don't have pictures tonight - but I'll say that he had a pretty darn good time. No party on Saturday - my aunti jenni visited on Saturday and that was great - I was so happy to have her over! We went for dinner and BP's (it sucked for service) and then came home for crocodile cake and presents. Aunti Jenni got Kyle a spider man truck and new game - Monkey Madness - we got him the Prehistoric Park dvd's and, of course, Steve Irwin. Steve is a "ken-sized", talks and has adventures. Kyle was very pleased to get him.

Today Kyle had lunch with his two "girlfriends" and a friend from daycare. Small and short - good! Kyle got a new dinosaur from his little buddy and they had a great time playing together.

Now I'm trying to write the rest of the book. I just finished enjoying a cup of peppermint tea - definitely my favorite tea now - I really like it as a fog (3/4 tea with one peppermint bag and then rest milk (2%) mmmmmm) Plus peppermint is good for your insides - so hooray for that.

I made bread tonight - buns - and andy said "these are better than your moms..." I'm still blushing from it - you see buns are kind of a pinnacle in the career of baking - and true success is out doing your family members - so hip hip hooray.... they are good - and it is all about time... I am using my mothers and grandmothers recipe - I've used the same one for years and the only thing I've changed is that I no longer rush making it - if it sits and rises for an hour or more... oh well - and they totally taste better.

Alright - I'm off to write the book... write more... night and hope everyone had a great weekend.

Friday, October 12, 2007

tonight

my feet are cold
i have a tin cut on my right ring finger and my left index
a cold is trying to gain entry to my system

so now that I've done my whining - we are t-minus a few hours from kyle's fifth birthday... only one kid replied to our birthday invitation... BOOOOOOOOO - Michael is still sick and Kyle was pretty run down and sneezy tonight - so we are going to call the one kid tomorrow and say we've chosen to cancel because the guys are sick and I don't want to entertain a parent that I don't even know.. (the mom wanted to stay at the house - no problem if there is more than one parent... not so great if we are just looking at each other and have nothing to talk about... blah)... so kyle will go to lunch with some buddies on sunday and i might suggest that the mom and other kid attend there... well see... he really wanted to hang out with a past friend but that mom didn't call at all... i'm also wondering if people will show up and not have replied...

i can't believe that my body was getting ready to have its first baby five years ago... GOD - i can't believe i was 25... where did all the time go - where? where?

cookie of the month... thinking of starting a cookie program - if you wanted cookies - how much would you be willing to pay? a dozen small cookies for shipping in canada is about $2... I'm thinking like $3 a month... I know - I'm insane... oh and i started another craft project... something that I'm hoping to market... i'll share more later...

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

blah-diddy-blah-blah

My body decided a few days ago that it had had enough. I knew it was coming, so I started taking cold FX and I'm still taking it hoping that I'll bypass the full blown whatever it is I have. I'm run down and still have a heap of work to do. I'm plowing through some of it tonight... finally... I'm just looking forward to Kyle's birthday on Saturday and now I'm looking forward to my aunt visiting - HOORAY!

I'm completely procrastinating - how sad is that - heaps of work and I procrastinate... I need to go read Covey and get re-motivated... of course reading will lead to further procrastination... ok - before I go - speaking of reading... I bought one of Steven King's new ones - Lisey's Story - if I had a day just for me I'd easily plow through this book. It is quite the tale and some nights I don't want to put it down, 'course some nights I fall asleep with it stuck to my face. If you feel like reading a story that will give you the creeps, and also make you think... give it a try. I picked it up for less than $8 at Costco.

Alright... alright - back to work.. 30 more minutes and then I'm pulling the plug and going to sleep.
Night all.

Monday, October 08, 2007

excuse me...

Alright... I'm watching my favorite meteorologist and hear that the east coast will experience la nina this year... what does that mean - well most of Canada (most) will experience higher than normal temperatures... and of course the exception to the rule is BC... well have lower temperatures and isn't that the truth... it is 11:30pm and it is already -2.... minus two - WHAT?

So what else? Well we didn't have turkey tonight but I did roast a chicken in the oven... not the same, but I made my turkey stuffing so I will still have a sandwich tomorrow... mmmm.... turkey sandwich... mmmmmm

Ok - back to writing my book - literally - still working on the hiking guide - I have all the trails written down.. just not in my computer... I'm getting there... I'm due for a break though... in the form of a nap...

Kids - Kyle - well the 5th birthday is fast approaching - we made invitations for his buddies tonight - steve irwin all the way baby... we are going to have a crocodile scavenger hunt and an australia cake... that's in a few short days... michael has a runny nose and had a slight temperature today... hoping he feels better tomorrow, but I think we are only at the beginning of this one... night all -

Sunday, October 07, 2007

turkey weekend

So you've got a few minutes to do something useless.... well here you go - from the vault under things April sang at parties wasted... Mahamana

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

I didn't get a degree but...

I went to university. Made friends, found a husband :), had a good time - learned a few things... not many... but I did manage to take one thing away that was of value today. I learned how to break and enter with a credit card. This afternoon I locked my keys in the building and knew it as soon as I shut the door that even though I'd grabbed my bag - my keys had gone somewhere else. So I did my business out of the office and came back to see if I still had this skill... and after a minute or so I got back in. Hooray for crappy locks. So here is something to think about - if it is that easy for me (the not so smart, but still good looking, even if I don't have a bum) to B&E into my office - single lock (not deadbolt) you'd be wise to have additional security on your house/business.

Monday, October 01, 2007

an evening treat

It's 11pm and if I haven't started to climb into bed and still have work to do I get the munchies. Tonight I'm enjoying a fine cup of lemon honey water. I bought a little jar of lemon flavoured honey ($5.95) from honeyshop.ca - I'm lucky enough to be in the home town of honeyshop.ca. So here is some shameless promotion for them... the honey is amazing and the flavoured honey is fantastic. If you like a sweet tea and enjoy a flavour (name it and he probably has it) you should consider buying some. There are sample packages available and you will be happy you spent the money if you find a honey you love. So there you go - and no I'm not the president or being paid to write this - I love it! I tried strawberry, but my love is with lemon... my recipe for success - boil water, add one tsp or tbsp of lemon honey - sit down, put up feet, enjoy! - repeat as required...

october

T-minus 12 days to Kyle's 5th birthday. So what does that mean? Well it means that I'm nearly five years older and I can't believe. I can't believe that I was 25 when I had Kyle - it feels like it was hundreds of years ago and it also feels like it happened in a blink of an eye. I look at how big Kyle is and sometimes I can't even get my brain around it. Where did my 21" baby go? His arms are longer than that now. This Friday is his parent teacher interview - WHAT? I know - I can't believe it myself - that is a clear sign of how much time flies... I know I know - everyone always said that to you when you were young and you were like.... whatever old dude... now I'm the old dude and trying not to say anything about because then I will also be labelled the old dude and right now Kyle still says I'm young.. (PHEW).

What else? Well I'm swamped. Too much work. Too many projects. The one upside is that it is forcing me to say no and to teach people to do their own work. I'm actually leaving one board of directors and might be leaving another. This doesn't make me feel good, but it will free up some of my time and maybe then I will actually get to dedicate time to scrapbooking and the work that I enjoy...

Michael - well our little man is growing up fast. He enjoys everything Kyle does and right now is quite into dinosaurs (dinos), crocodiles (crocs) and dora. He has lots of words, not any real sentences yet. He blurts out a couple of words together when he really really wants something. He likes to eat, chase Kyle, hang out with Kyle... did I mention he likes Kyle. (dyle) My parents think he looks like my dad and he definitely has my dads attitude... I'm just glad his temper hasn't been too bad - when we were in Vancouver for Derek and Wendys wedding he lost it a few times and LOOK OUT!

Anyhow - there is a brief update.

Erks and whines...
Why do I some people pretend to listen and then later on - a day, a week, a month - they regirgitate the exact thing you said and claim it as their free thought! AAAHHHHHH! I'm hating that right now. Hating it!

Monday, September 17, 2007

good evening





A little Cariboo wildlife... no moose sightings - one bear but he didn't want his photo taken.

Kyle is enjoying kindergarten and learning new things every day - good and bad :) The joys of other peoples children. I was waiting with Kyle for the school to open (there is a sign that says - parents must stay with kindergarteners until the school bell goes off... I'm apparently the only parent who can read...) so this other child comes up to kyle like he is going to fight - like he wants to fight kyle and makes this comment - kyle push me so i can punch you... GREAT - can you say home school? What the hell is wrong with people - who teaches their kids that! So needless to say I'm keeping my eye on that one...

Michael is adjusting to going to daycare without Kyle. They've never actually been in the same programs at daycare but they usually get to spend some of their day together. He gets quite upset about Kyle going to kindergarten - there are tears every day. I'm sure it will get better... he does like daycare now so that's a positive thing :) He is one of the big kids now and I think he likes that. His language skills are improving all the time - he is starting to do two word sentences... more often when he really wants something.

And now I need to do some work... lucky me :) nightie night

Monday, September 10, 2007

pictures

So here are a few from our holiday - I'm definitely missing my holiday now... today was my first day back in the grind and I'm darn near ready for another holiday...


Here are the boys listening to the pan flute man at Granville Island.


Kyle at his first day of kindergarten. And yes, that means he is turning *gulp* five next month...


Andy and Kyle were part of Derek (Andy's brother) wedding the first weekend of September. I've got about 200 photos now and this is part of my top five fav photos. I would also just like to say that the music they chose for the wedding party to walk to and the music Wendy came down the aisle to were perfect. Some may know that I love the Princess Bride... the theme music from this film (see it if you haven't...) was the music wendy walked down the aisle to - I've listened to it about 10 times since the wedding and have fallen in love with it all over again. Sadly I can't take credit for this photo. A family friend took it on my inlaws camera.


Here is Kyle as the ring bearer. He was a true champ all day and did a great job!

Sunday, September 09, 2007

where did i go?

well i went on holidays and just stopped posting... so sorry to all - i'll post photos tomorrow
so its september now - here's what we did - short form

- went to vancouver
- watched a beautiful bride walk down the aisle
- picked blackberries
- walked through steveston a tonne of times
- spent a night in PG - BLAH
- went to granville island
- was told by a snob in richmond that charm bracelets were no longer in style
- got dressed up twice in the same day and managed to look a wee bit hot
- took kyle to his first day of kindergarten
- pinned kyle (48 lbs) while he got a booster shot and a chicken pox vaccine... blah
- ate sushi - a couple of times
- began living with my husband again after five months apart

I'll post some pics tomorrow - i hope everyone else had a good summer and preparing to roll back into the fall grind... I'm not - but I'll be wearing a smile tomorrow when I return to my office. Sweet dreams and good wishes to you all :)

Monday, August 20, 2007

the worst way to go...

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) - An Australian woman was killed by a pet camel given to her as a 60th birthday present after the animal apparently tried to have sex, police said Sunday.

The woman, whose name was not released, was killed Saturday at her family's sheep and cattle ranch near Mitchell, 600 kilometres west of the Queensland state capital Brisbane, state police Detective Senior Constable Craig Gregory said.

The 10-month-old male camel - weighing about 150 kilograms - knocked the woman to the ground, lay on top of her, then exhibited what police suspect was mating behaviour, Gregory said.

"I'd say it's probably been playing, or it may be even a sexual sort of thing," Gregory said, adding the camel almost suffocated the family's pet goat by straddling it on several occasions.

Camel expert Chris Hill said he had no doubt the camel's behaviour was sexual.

Hill, who has offered camel rides to tourists for 20 years, said young camels are not aggressive, but can be dangerous if treated as pets without discipline.

The fate of the camel was not known.

The woman was given the camel in March as a birthday present from her husband and daughter. "She had a love of exotic pets," Gregory said.

___________________________________

So that isn't a joke - this poor woman died being humped by a camel. So I'm voting that as the crappiest way to die. And note to all - camels have humps and also like to give them....

Sunday, August 12, 2007

boobs

Men look at boobs.

I get it - they all do it. Some are significantly better at in than others. On Friday I experienced my worst boob-zone out. I felt like I was in a strip club and didn't know that I was at the lead. I tried to not notice - or am I supposed to be like - HELLO - what's your problem - I have a face - do you see me looking anywhere other than your face? huh? do you?

It was uncomfortable enough that I was crossing my arms over my boobs to try and shield them from the menacing stare... ARG! So what to do? Should I have made a comment - do men just get to look at boobs and women should just get over it?

On another note - what the hell is wrong with the weather - it is cold here and completely feels like fall. Tonight is the best meteor shower of the year and fog from the river rolled over my house during the peak time to watch - ! double ARG!!!!!! I managed to see two, but COME ON! That's now enough!

Alright - well I'm off to practice my pole moves - I need to prepare for my meetings tomorrow.

In the shut the hell up file...
An Eyeful A Day Keeps The Doctor Away
Staring at women's breasts is good for men's health and makes them live longer, a new survey reveals. Researchers have discovered that a 10-minute ogle at women's breasts is as healthy as half-an- hour in the gym. A five-year study of 200 men found that those who enjoyed a longing look at busty beauties had lower blood pressure, less heart disease and slower pulse rates compared to those who did not get their daily eyeful.

Dr Karen Weatherby, who carried out the German study, wrote in The New England Journal of Medicine: "Just 10 minutes of staring at the charms of a well-endowed female is roughly equivalent to a 30-minute aerobics workout. Sexual excitement gets the heart pumping and improves blood circulation. There is no question that gazing at breasts makes men healthier. Our study indicates that engaging in this activity a few minutes daily cuts the risk of a stroke and heart attack in half. We believe that by doing so consistently, the average man can extend his life 4 to 5 years."

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

brokeback

So I started writing on here about two hours ago. I haven't watched a movie in forever - I don't even remember the last movie that I saw. I wanted to watch something fun tonight and we have a copy of Borat... but I couldn't find it and as I'm searching through all the dvds we have I see Brokeback Mountain still in its wrapper. We bought it ages ago and I've never bothered to watch it. I started watching it two hours ago and came on here to rant. I was a little overwhelmed by the first scene in it - having not seen a film in a while and seeing any kind of violence really turned me off. I got on here and started talking about it and then stopped and tried to pay attention to film. I just finished watching it and I gotta say it was a very good movie. I cried the whole last 15 minutes or so of it. I had heard a lot about the movie - lots of negative stuff - but it truly was a good love story - for anyone - from all walks of life..... and there you go - I just wanted to share that.

What else is new? Not much. I should have been working tonight but I just couldn't get into it. I got another website gig today - I'm a little overwhelmed with work, but I'm also struggling with task management... but I'm going to get into list mode tomorrow and get it straight.

Oh - on the stupid blonde front - a month ago my air conditioner started leaking. It was leaking about 4 litres or more a day. Today my landlord finally got a service crew over and the guy is up on the chair looking at it and he's all - oh the pump must be gone. He starts pulling on a cord... my eyes start to follow where the cord is going - it seems that it crosses the ceiling and comes right over to my desk. Then I start looking around and see where I've unplugged what I thought was a light... turns out - nope I'm an idiot... he just kind of laughed at me and told me to have a nice day. I just told my landlord that it had been taken care of... lord :) So have a laugh at my expense... poor dumb april :)

Monday, August 06, 2007

bc day well celebrated

Well we had a great BC Day and I hope everyone else took in the sights and sounds of our beautiful province... and to those who are in other provinces... sorry you had to be there and miss out on here :)


Here are the boys and grandpa picking berries. We found a field full of wild raspberries - it was quite the sight and every time you turned around you'd hear one of saying - gees I can't believe how many berries there are. This was at 3700 ft.



Here are the boys cooling down after a full day of hiking. We climbed to the top of this mountain looking for the elusive cave. We did end up finding the cave but there was no cut trail to the cave and we'd already spent two hours hiking. We climbed to 4050 ft - Kyle hiked the whole thing - Michael got a free ride to the top on my dad's shoulders for the most part. I took him for a while, but my dad hoofed it darn near the whole way.



The middle of this photo is where I climbed to on my last trip. This climb was about 100 ft higher. The last two hundred feet were pretty steep. I'm still surprised that Kyle made it without too much help - and he had a great time. The boys were so tuckered out that they fell asleep in the car and have been asleep since. Very good BC Day!

Sunday, August 05, 2007

voodoo whodoo

So it all came and slapped me in the face yesterday. She calls and says I have clients coming today and need the room. So like the obedient and best daughter on the planet that I am and get my loving husband and brother and we move over 600 lbs of equipment, clean the room, clean the bathroom, (vaccuum, washing, dusting) mildly decorate the room - all in a few quick hours - less than three. At 4:30 they show up and do a massage session on my front lawn. AAAAHHHHHHH!

Alright - you say - April that isn't enough... isn't enough... it gets better or worse depending on who you are related to in this story... story implies that I'm making this up... this is a true story.

2 hours later she comes in and says she needs to use the computer. Fine - 5 minutes later the clients come in with her - they spend the next 10+ minutes downstairs on the computer. We are eating dinner - we are mad. This is way over what we agreed to.

Afterwards I try to be polite - try - how did it go? No patient confidentiality here... I will spare you the gory details but I've been left thinking about it since... then I start to get to it on my issues because I wasn't going to let this get to me - and she needs to know that I'm concerned about this situation. I explain that we shuffled house for her, that we were disappointed about her not using the room (it becomes obvious at this point that she told me they wanted to be outside, but that she actually wanted to be outside... ARG - hair ignition in 5, 4, 3, 2, ...1 ), disappointed about her bringing people through our house. I finally ask if she was paid. Now... please hold onto your seats - and if you aren't sitting - sit down - 'april - this isn't about the money, this is about healing people - I shouldn't be charging people to get rid of their headache or whatever it might be' - so you didn't get paid - well they gave me this great rock - i shit you not - she showed me the rock they paid with... later this same day I tried this at save-on-foods and they told me that a rock will not pay for my milk and told me to get out of the store... who knew! I asked how this was going to pay the bills, wasn't that part of doing this... and she said - hold on again - that it would all be taken care of - she'd seen it. FABULOUS! Where is my crystal ball?

Alright - so I understand the issue of not wanting people to charge for services - I think my hairstylist should also take the barter system - that would work much better for me - I'm sure that I could round up some rocks... ok I will stop with the rock jokes... what am I getting to.. well I'm sure doctors, and other people who provide a service that people need and, in some cases, are quite desperate for, but you don't see any of them giving away services for free. Is this more that these people won't pay? I don't know what to think. I suggested that a business plan (I know.. ms science over here) should be written and then a budget would help her understand how things should go, but I think she was thinking about something else... I love the people that say - april - its all in my head - i know it will work... I've heard this before from other people starting a business... but I gotta say - free doesn't equate to good - its nice to get perks when I buy things but if something is being given away you start wondering about why... why is this free? maybe it isn't good for me.

Free will not pay for insurance (that she needs), bills, training, rent... (selfish April - you are sooo bad)... free will not make a savings program to pay for her home care.... 'april... don't worry - it's all taken care of - i've seen it.'

This rant was brought to you by the letter R and the number 1.

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

60 minutes and counting

The battle over sleep continues... tonight Michael - who is definitely over tired - is shouting... not great with the boys sharing a room, but Kyle can sleep through anything. (Note - if you haven't seen it already - check out the story on children and fire alarms. A study was completed that showed most children will not wake up to fire alarms. They showed fire fighter parents children test fire alarms and all of the kids slept through the alarm while it blared on for more than two minutes - some for more than three. A new line of fire alarms are being released in the US that are announcements by parents - basically yelling at the kids to wake up. The test children woke within 15-30 seconds with these alarms.... something to maybe watch out for or check out online. http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health/feeds/hscout/2006/10/02/hscout535228.html)

Now he is out here leaning on me because he refuses to sleep. My mom suggested reverse psychology - 'don't go to bed, stay up then..' Not sure how well that is going to work with a high-temper 19 month old...

More on the kids front - there is a huge recall going on at fisher price. We have some of the toys and I wouldn't be surprised if you have them or if someone you know has them - check out what has been recalled (83 products - Dora, Diego, Sesame Street, etc) the website is clogged with everyone else trying to download the form to return stuff - so be patient - as they suggest - and then send their crap back to them - I guess the poorly paid Chinese workers gave the toys an extra coat of lead.

Now he's pouring on the tears - better run - night night all.

Sunday, July 29, 2007


Here's Kyle as the great Harry Potter. This display was in Kelowna on the day the book was available. There were only signed copies left for $80 a crack... so we passed and bought our $27 copy at wally world.


Here we are on the beach in Kelowna. The sunsets are always amazing. It was a beautiful evening and we had a great time.


Here are the boys lounging at Andy's place in Kelowna. He bought the hammock for $10 at a garage sale.


A rainbow circle around the sun in Kelowna.


Here is Kyle monkeyin' around last night - he asked me to take this photo for him.


Here is Michael on the slide. He loves the slide and went at least 20 times on our visit last night - pretty good for a sick kid. :)


Here was the price of gas yesterday. To fill up my car it would cost $49,995...


Here is my sexy grad. Andy is finished the in classroom sessions and is now working on car and at the hospital in Kelowna. We are very proud of him!