Of mini bombs and salt

A mini bomb fell over our heads yesterday, a warning sign that I knew was coming straight at us. Except that I didn’t think it was going to hit J. He’s been experiencing heart pain lately, the kind where you feel like your heart is constricting. As if that wasn’t scary enough, he was always tired and sleeping everywhere. I though, diabetes, for sure. Brought on with the fact that diabetes is very present in the First Nations community, and that Jeff loves everything sugar, I thought, this is it, what we’ve been waiting for. I mean, let’s be honest here, were both overweight, not exercising enough, and even though the food we eat has tremendously improved in the last year or so, there is still vast  grounds for improvement.

But it wasn’t diabetes. It was high blood pressure. My husband had 160/120 bp, and now needs to go get some blood and stress tests done. Did I mention he’s 23? This is scary. As. Fuck. I’ve been reading up on what it means to have those numbers, and I’m honestly terrified. I mean out of the two of us, I’m much bigger and less in shape than he is, so why did he have that, instead of me? Life is stressful in general, but obviously he’s been feeling it more, and I’ve had a part to play in it as well, I’m not the most relaxing person to have around, sometimes. I feel very guilty, guilty for the stress that I may have caused, guilty for not forcing him/us to eat better, guilty for not putting my husband and my own health as a priority.

So before we know the results of those tests, we know how to help our situation. We need to watch the sodium levels of everything we intake, drink more water and less everything else, and exercise. This is like a major, nasty, brutal wake up call for me. My doctor’s always been honest and upfront, and straight up told me that if I didn’t change my ways, I’d be heading straight for blood and/or heart disease. I acknowledge that fact, and I also acknowledge that it didn’t scare me very much. My twisted lazy logic told me that I was already sick, and quite honestly, I’ve always been a bit on the extreme side of the live-for-the-moment movement, but that’s another story. But this, THIS, is different. This isn’t me, I can’t suffer through this in silent, this is J. Never in my craziest day-mares did I imagine him getting sick with anything more than what I have, and I can’t let this slide anymore. This being our lifestyle. Thank God, I have my sister Cat who just graduated her CEGEP in nutrition and heading to McGill to help us out with our food, and my older sister Amanda who is a nurse to help us out with what we can do NOW, and what all those medical references mean. Thank God for family.

This is our wake up call. This is what we knew was going to happen, but never really fully understood its consequences. We can’t play around with this, with our health anymore. Time has run out, and we need to get a move on.  If you know anything about HBP, lived through a similar situation, or have any tips that could help us, please don’t hesitate to comment and let me know! And for anyone up in God’s corner, remember us in your prayers please, were going to need all the help and courage we can get!

Mother's Day

I love my mother to the ends of the earth and back again. The shit this woman has gone through (and still goes through) for me and for everyone around her is truly mind blowing. That she can still stand straight and laugh it all off is quite humbling. I dont even have the words to express what my mother means to me, what shes done for me, and what she represent to me. I can say, without a doubt in my heart, that if/when I have children, if by the grace of God, I can be even half the woman she is, then I will surely get an award for the best damn mother there could possibly be.

Merci maman, pour tout.

 

 

Trust Issues

A relationship must have absolute trust as one of its founding stones, that is something that most everyone would agree on. What trust means, what it entails, differs from couple to couple.

For example, I know a 'married' couple (I put married in quotations, because they were married using a pagan ceremony that isnt recognized as official) who are open to having multiple partners throughout their lives. In fact, the bride composed and sang a song to her groom about her blessing and accepting any future partners he would find. Every other couple has its own distinctions as to what is cheating, and what is acceptable.

I remember having this discussion with a bunch of girlfriends awhile back. It was the general consensus that touching was forbidden, but looking and talk/flirt was accepted. Because, and I quote, everybody does it.

Really?

You see, all this reflexion was brought upon by two people in my training class that I sit next to, and so hear everything they say. They are very obviously flirting with their words, their eyes, and their eyes, without ever touching. Which is fine, except for the fact that one of them is engaged. Now, far be it from me that I would ever express my discomfort with the way they act. I would never just saunter up to her, and say Hey! Is that attitude really appropriate for a soon to be married person? Or to him and say Hey! Would you be cool if some guy tried to woo your girlfriend knowing full well she was taken?

So I keep all my judgments to myself, and try to squash them, because really, who am I to judge you?

But at the same time, this has brought upon me a realization that my definition of <cheating> has changed. I now define cheating as anything I wouldnt do in front of J with a member of either sex. Words, glances, anything that I wouldnt do with J sitting right next to me, is something that has become innapropriate for me to do with anyone. Because, really, if I cant do it with him being right there, why would I do it at all? And vice versa of course.

The most important relationship in my life, apart from the one I have with God, is the one with my husband. It is up to me to keep the vows I said when I was married in every sense of the term, and never do anything that would break the sanctity of those vows. That doesnt mean never doing anything J doesnt want me to (were both extremely stubborn) but it means making sure I am the most trustworthy wife I could ever be, with my thoughts and actions and words.

Just another little nudge from God, I suppose. :)

Marriage and a prayer

Lord, please mold me into exactly the wife that my husband needs. Whatever that is, whoever she is, help me always make him understand how much I love him, let me always remember my love for him, let me be strong when he needs support, thankful and grateful for everything he brings to my life. Let us grow together to become better and holier people than we could ever have been on our own.  Let me be enough for him, and let him be enough for me, always. Amen.

5 years

This is how we celebrated.


I had planned to make one of his favorites meals, beef stew. Long story short, that didnt work. This morning, in a rush and semi-late-panic, I remembered to pull something out of the freezer for supper. The nearest thing ended up being hamburger patties. So we had cheeseburgers for supper. They were delicious.

Accompanied by a mixing bowl full of ceasar salad. Just lettuce and cucumbers, because thats what we could afford to buy on the go of this non-pay week with three birthdays (my mom, step-dad, and sister) in it. Also, we basically survived on that back in our skinny days of non-work gypsy living, so the salad was sentimental. :)

Jeff got to cheat with his favortie naughty beverage. And I took a few sips.

Best part? I worked much later than anticipated and had literally no time to make something better than oxygen for dessert. Jeff picked up a cake and decorated it. I love him.

Fall is here!

FALL IS HERE! FALL IS HERE! FALL IS HERE! I feel like prancing around like a little child throwing leaves in the air! September (I don't care that its not the date of) means FALL, and fall means lots and lots of good things!

Harvest time for soooo many good things, like APPLES! I cannot wait for apple picking time, Ive already seen advertisements for Ile St-Bernard self-picking apple orchards and a few other places. Ooooh the goodies I will bake! I have been praying lately for a solution to our minimal freezing storage, as J's parents were supposed to purchase a new freezer and give us their 'old' one, but that didn't turn out. I'm using the freezer for so many things (I freeze alot of vegetable and fruits, whole meals, pies, etc), and I have no space to do so. His aunt popped us a surprise by saying she was going to give us one of hers, so I am very excited to be able to start freezing in mass quantities! A step forward in the right direction of eating mostly local and in season foods!

New groups/new decisions to be made at the daycare! We always start our new groups in September, to follow the routine of schools, and I am excited to meet new little faces! I am also going to be making some decisions by winter about my personal career and family future. We have been talking alot about a possible career change (not that big, really), maybe going back to school, finishing/advancing the schooling we do have, finally founding a family (or deciding that maybe family life isn't whats in store for us.. a little shocking, I know).

My 5 year anniversary with Jeff, and our 1 year wedding anniversary!! WHAT? As if! J and I were just talking about this in the car today. I said something along the lines of my disbelief at having a whole entire year pass by us so fast, he replied with: I cant believe your not in jail (from my presumable murder of him). Thats why I married the guy. Were celebrating by having a horseback riding adventure, a gift given to us by our uncle (the guy who married us). Imagine the scenery with autumn colors, a 2hr horseback ride by ourselves in the woods, then a cabin just for us? So romantic! I simply cannot wait, and I am very grateful that we get to do something so special for the two of us and it not costing us anything, besides gas and whatever food we pack! What a blessing, especially in these tight fiscal times!

Talking of tight fiscal times, I have made a list of the essential things I need to can for the winter, and this year I will test out if my quantities were correct, and if I should have done more of this or less of that. Ive learned through the last couple of years that even though I want to can EVERYTHING, we dont eat EVERYTHING. So my list includes salsa, tomatoes, tomato sauce, beets, dill and sweet pickles, pickled broccoli and cauliflower, jam, apple pie filling and a few sauces (like BBQ and a sort of asian for our stir-frys). I can chicken and veggetable broth on the go as need recquires, and Im still experimenting with making ketchup and mustard that is accepted by Mr.J. As well as trying whole canned peaches and pears. I feel like I forgot a couple of things, but thats all Ive got for the moment. Im also going to focus alot more on the freezing aspect (bread, muffins, cakes, pies, etc).

I can already smell that crisp air and hear the leaves crunching underneath my boots as I walk hand in hand with the love of my life, all snuggled up in a cozy sweater, and maybe a light scarf and mittens! Ah, autumn, I love you so!

Greek Good Friday

For the first time in my memory (because I'm told I went when I was much younger) I attended Greek Good Friday service. This was quite honestly the most beautiful service I have ever attended, and I think I will be remember it forever.

First of all, I hadn't been to that church (St-Dyonisis) in awhile, and although I love the church of my youth, this was still where my father's service was and the place stirs emotions Id rather not submit myself to regularly. So when I walked in with my grandmother hanging tight to my arm, I was already feeling a little shaky. It was the same as always, with the entrance layed out in the same way.

On the right are the candles you can light when you come in. You cross yourself and light a candle, then head over to the right to the first little altar and kiss an icon of Christ with a Holy Bible under. This Bible is extremely old, and came from Greece, and it has this most beautiful ornate gold cover. Then you head a few steps to the left to a second altar where there is another icon (equally as old and beautiful) and you cross yourself again and kiss it as well. Now you may enter the church proper.

The lights were shut completely off (apart from a small light at the end where the singer was) and the place was dark enough for me to not be able to see completely. There were people sitting in the pews, but everyone was silent, not a word could be heard. Apart from the singer who was singing the Bible. The atmosphere really was filled with sadness, but also anticipation. I had never felt the Bible come to life like this. We walked up the aisle right up the steps to where a huge altar was layed out. On each side were two girls dressed in white, they were angels guarding the tomb of Christ (called the Epitaphios). We crossed ourselves and kissed the central icon, and the ones on both sides, and then backed away until we reached the stairs, where we went down and sat in one of the pews. All in silence. All in the utmost respect for what we had in front of us. My grandmother had to walk back down to go talk to some relatives, and I stayed there and just looked. Looked at the beauty of what was in front of me. Along with the altar, there was a huge wooden cross directly in front of me, with a candle on each of its end. All there was to be heard was the sound of the singer lamenting His death. It was the most beautiful, the saddest, and the most transcending thing I ever saw and felt.

Afterwards, the service began in earnest and there were so many special things laden with solemn beauty. There was a four part stanza (which took about 40 minutes by itself) that lamented the death of Christ and affirmed our belief in His Resurrection, a procession of the little girl/angels, and then we went outside and walked around the block (each of us with a lit candle) with the Epitaphios and the cross and threw petals. Back at the Church, we passed under the Epitaphios, and then the Pater gave his sermon (which was excellent). Afterwards we lined up and each received a handful of the flowers that the Epitaphios was made of.

I feel like this ceremony reaffirmed something inside of me, as well as filled me with reverence for mystical beauty and dignity. I had been giving much thought to the idea of converting to Catholism because of the fact that I lived my life technically more as a Catholic than as an Orthodox, and understood more about Catholism than Orthodoxy. But this service showed me how lucky I am to have been a part of this, that I am proud of my heritage, and that time and time again (apart from the very few churches with traditional mass) I am shown that there is a let down of the sactity and beauty involved in a service. This is how service should be, not a 30 minute rushed affair with cellphones going off.

                 

                        Christos Anesti, Allithos Anesti!




The flowers I received in my crystal bowl (heirloom from my grandmother)





The road to healing

Some people wonder why I would post about such personal topics on such an impersonal place, but writing is therapeutic, and sharing it with the faceless world, though knowing that this will be read and aknowledged by at least a few people makes me feel better. That being said, if you don't feel comfortable reading about my dealings with death and all of that darkness that comes with it, then I would encourage you to stop reading.

 I am making some small progress with concern to my father's passing. There is still so much pain that comes with this, I wonder how it will pass. Its true that I've only recently started to aknowledge the fact of his death, so maybe this is all what is supposed to happen. You would think after 12 years, I would stop whining about it, but I feel like I am just starting. I have this insatiable hunger for every little scrap of memory people have about him, but seem so shy about sharing. Noone wants to talk about my father, except for the general stuff like that he was the life of the party, what a great guy he was, how much he is missed, and how much I look like him. I know all this. When I ask you to tell me about him, I want you to tell me little things that seem so important. What was his favorite color? His favortie food? Did he like going to Church, did he struggle with faith like I am? Was his asthma as bad as mine? All these trivial things that I will never know unless someone tells me. I want to know him, because I dont know anything about him.

I just learnt a few days ago that he listened to this record on repeat many many times when he was my age. Which is funny because I had listened to this band many times before without knowing why I liked it so much, and chalked it up to me liking weird obscure people noone knew. And after randomly posting it in Facebook, one of his childhood friends admitted to me that my father was in love with them when they came out. She wouldnt tell me anything else, but it was still a little bit more about him than I knew before. So now I listen to this on repeat and feel a little closer to him. I want to go this summer to his burial site, bring two beers (although I hate beer, I know that he loved it) and I will blast this record and share a drink with my father, and maybe I will heal just a little more. A little at a time.

News

So much is happening right now! My life is changing it and Im loving it!

We have reworked our budget and it is quite wonderful the amount that we can now put into savings. Seeing that nest egg grow just gives me a boost every time! One of my favorite financial speakers, Gail Vaz-Oxlade, largely promotes the use of cash in jars as a way to keep track of the money and to really physically see the $ that each category takes. At first, I was like pff whatever, I am not 5 years old, I do not need to see things to know its there. Then we decided to try it, and it just worked out beautifully. Every penny is where it should be and we are not constantly thinking about what needs to be paid when and with what because its right there in our faces. Which I love. I guess I am 5 when it comes to $!

We have found the perfect appartment. We initially met up at the bank for a financial meeting concerning buying a house, but it kind of freaked me out. I didnt want to go into house buying because I wanted a nice big cash down deposit, as in 25% of the house, around the 150-200, 000$ landmark (my actual dream is to buy a house with cash, no debt, but I dont see that happening in the next year lol). We were not there yet, and I just had a bad feeling about it. The advisor basically told us that getting a loan would be tough because of our recent job switches, and our salaries weren't high enough to make up for the short lenght of time we were working there, so we would have had to have someone sign for us, which was x-nay in my books. So we searched for an appartment and found a beautiful one with a LARGE KITCHEN and a backyard for our puppies, but the only problem was that we were not the only ones who wanted this place. About 15 other people put forward their interest for it, and I dont know how we managed, surely only by the grace of God, but we were the ones who got it! SO EXCITED FOR THIS! After two years of living in a one room appartment, its time for some change, methinks. We'll be moving in next week, but we still need to find a sub-leaser for here, so prayers for us would be a blessing!

Along with the new place, I now have my own backyard to plan a garden and a frontyard to beautify with flowers! Planning a garden makes me so happy <3

Along with the change, we have both felt the need to grow our family and have set our deadline to one year. We are going to continue with our NFP and what happens will happen, but if it hasn't in one year, then we are going to try deliberately to have a child! I hope and pray that the year passes quickly, because after spending all day taking care of other people's kids, I really yearn for a child in my arms!

I love you because...

All right, so we`ve all seen those couples that are sickly sweet with their love, and make everybody want to either hit them or be them, right? Right. I am personally not a fan of PDA that goes any further than holding hands or hugging (and maybe a quick kiss on the cheek) because I really do believe that kisses and other outward signs of affection is best done in your home and not on display for the whole world to see. I feel that a kiss between my husband and I is a very private thing that belongs only to the two of us and not to any gawking spectators (which made me oh so thankful that the DJ at our wedding thought of a game that would stop that annoying clinking on plates & glasses that guests make to get the couple to kiss).

Same goes for any extravagant words of love between the two of us. I would feel embarrassed, uncomfortable, and very awkward if a friend of mine suddenly gushed out his love verbally for his girlfriend right in front of us at the movies, for example. Such things are best kept between person one and two, and not the whole world. So, knowing this about myself, I was very surprised when I suggested to Jeff while we were out a few nights ago that we play the 'I love you because...' game. This was something I had read about and never done because I thought it was silly, and potentially hazardous.

The game is simple, each person at a time says to his better half` I love you because... and adds a reason at the end of the sentence. It could be anything and everything, and when s/he is done, it is the other person`s turn to reply with a different reason than the one just stated. For example, you cant reply I love you because your hair is shiny to your husband`s I love you because your hair is long. You also can`t use the game to bring up a fight or argument you had i.e.: I love you because I KNOW you will do those dishes sitting in the sink that I asked you to do three days ago. The game goes on until you run out of things to say.

Got you gagging yet?

In any case, we started to play and shot off 20 something things easily without a pause. You know, those things everybody says to their better halves, almost generic things that are found in the Hallmark cards. And that`s when it gets interesting. Because once youve said those things your used to saying everyday or so, you get to the bottom of where you affection of stems for the other person, and the game becomes something special. I heard things from the hubby that made me choke on my water with laughter, like 'I love you because you don`t wear cleavagy shirts anymore', and I said things that I didn't even know I knew, like 'I love you because I know when you argue and get really pissed off and yell, its because you care.' . Huh, go figure.


Sometimes the breaks between the reasons were longer, and other times they flew out of our mouths. We thought at the end of our dinner, that we had run out of things but 5 minutes later we were quick firing them again. But it made me realize that we dont spend enough time identifying those feelings with actions. Yes, I love my husband, but why, exactly? Because this, and this, and that. And vice-versa. It really makes you understand how perfectly suited you are to one another, despite how different you are.


Because if anybody else yelled at me, I would probably punch them.

Still Angry

' Really, when you bury a child— or when you just simply get up every day and live life raw—you murmur the question soundlessly. No one hears. Can there be a good God? A God who graces with good gifts when a crib lies empty through long nights, and bugs burrow through coffins? Where is God, really? How can He be good when babies die, and marriages implode, and dreams blow away, dust in the wind?  Where is grace bestowed when cancer gnaws and loneliness aches and nameless places in us soundlessly die, break off without reason, erode away? Where hides this joy of the Lord, this God who fills the earth with good things, and how do I fully live when life is full of hurt? How do I wake up to joy and grace and beauty and all that is the fullest life when I must stay numb to losses and crushed dreams and all that empties me out? '

What would he say about all this?

I long to be lost in my faith where I know without a doubt. Those people seem so.. at peace.
Fact: When I was walking up the aisle, I cried my soul out. Of course, part of it was that I was marrying the man that I love and whole loves me (figure that out, if you will), and part was just a surge of emotions. But part of it was also my childish self-pity that the man walking me up (although I love him very much) was not my father. You know, Im pretty sure He's pissed off at me for being so silly and ungrateful, and still being reluctant to give it all up, so to speak. Im pretty sure He's shaking His Head, and going 'Look around you, see what you have, and be content for once!' ... but how else can I feel? And furthermore when will this doubt stop? Will it ever stop? Will I always doubt myself and everything around me?
Wow. I feel like this author summed up in a few phrases my (and I suspect many others) biggest torment in life face to faith, of any kind and for anything. Yes, I am still angry about the death of my father, ridiculously so. Yes, I still, in my moments of intense doubt and dark, blame God for being such an asshole and wonder what the hell I am doing praying to Him that took him away. How am I to trust and love and praise when I don't know when the next coup-de-grace will be? When there is so much to lose?

Here are a few of my favorite things

You know what's the most wonderful thing in the world? Hearing 'Good morning my wife' when you wake up in the morning. Putting on that oh-so-new wedding band. Introducing your better half as 'my husband'. Knowing that you are united with the man you love more than anything else with God, family, and friends as witnesses, until death do you part. Ok, I guess I should have pluralized thing. :)
My wedding was truly and honestly perfect. There is nothing I would have changed, added, or left out. I am so happy I found that balance between economical/ecological and traditional. We paid what we wanted and had what we wanted, and our families had so much fun, and no one missed those silly things people were trying to pressurize us into buying. Having Sweet Child O' Mine from the Guns N' Roses (the violin version) play while my bridal party walked up the aisle was priceless. Including a greeting in the four languages (english/french/mohawk/greek) was a nice touch. And all those things that kept me sleepless three nights in a row? All for nothing.

I also received a gift from Heaven. When I was about to embark in the limo, it was raining hard, then sunny, the sunshowers. Driving towards the chapel, rainbows suddenly appeared in the sky. No jokes, it was like this movie magic moment, except in real life. It was like my father was smiling at me and giving his support and approval. Of course I was in tears as soon as one of my girls said this, but it truly felt like he was smiling right at me and saying that he was present, with me, ready to give me away. What more could a girl ask for?

I really am the most blessed woman in the world, and I am so grateful for everything. What did I ever do to deserve this bounty of love and happiness? God is great, and to Him I give thanks!

24 years ago

or so I looked like this

What a miracle human life, development, and growth is. We will never be able to comprehend this complexity, this enormity, this perfectly imperfectly thing that is human life. Just contemplating it staggers me. In another 24 years, I will be 48. What/where/who will I be?

So, what's up?

I love my new job. Its the first time I get to work with the real little ones, between 4 months (SO TINY) and 4 years old. There is that feeling I get, when I'm rocking the babies while they are feeding, and they are staring straight into my eyes, that I'm at exactly the right spot at the right time in my life. The absolute trust that they give me is humbling. One of my little guys would startle awake from a nightmare and whimpers until I rock him. He then lays his sleepy head over my heart in absolute confidence that I am a good person, and the next best thing after his mother. What a blessing to be the object of such love, trust, and confidence!

Other than that, I've caught up on some sewing, and finished two paintings that have been lying around for, literally, years. I've yet to get cracking on my quilt slash sewing machine, so that is most definitely on my to-do list!

I think my conversation with my mom about canning struck a nerve, because she announced to me that in the fall, I had a date with my grandmother and herself to make some beets and fruit ketchup. I am so excited! Bonding time + family traditions and canning secret being passed down? SCORE!

My niece Cailey

I meet my niece for the first time. She is so beautiful!

Niagara Falls

Jeff and I are travellers at heart (Ive got the travelling bug more than him, he just gets swept up in the adventure) and we were pretty stationnary for a long time. School and work got in the way of getting to know the world, and that's ok. But we came to the point of feeling a bit caged in, and wedding planning takes an incredible toll on you, everything needing this or that, people calling you, and really I just needed to get away where noone would know me or call me and ask me every little detail about every little thing. So I randomly said we should go away, not meaning it, and Jeff looked at me and said 'Why not?' And so about 48hrs later, we left for Niagara Falls.

I must admit, we defiently made many mistakes on the trip. We got a little crazy with seeing things and made mistakes as to where and what we saw and paid for, we unfortunately went the Type A tourist rather than the traveller way. So I figured I would recount  my dos and donts for anyone out there who is wondering what the heck to do and not do in Niagara Falls:

DO
- Get the adventure pass. All those things included are absolutely worth it and it is defintely worth the money!
- Go visit the Butterfly Conservatory and the Botanical Gardens. That's a must and it does not cost much, especially compared to everything else. We took a horse carriage ride around the Gardens and it was great to be told history and facts by the very knowledgeable driver.
- Visit the Bird and Reptile Atrium. They have bats and insects too.
- Hit up Clifton Hill at nighttime, and visit the Ripley's Believe it or Not museum, the Wax Museum, and the House of Mirrors.
-Take a ride on the SkyWheel. I would even say do it twice, once at night and once during the day.
-Watch the fireworks over the falls every Friday and Sunday during the summer. Stunning.
- Take a walk down the boardwalk right beside the Falls and take your time watching and listening.
- Go visit the Niagara Nature Centre, they have maps of beautiful trails which is absolutely free and so beautiful to see!
- For the history buffs, there is a historical tour given which includes Fort Erie and the Laura Secord Homestead.
- If you like getting scared, hit up the Nightmare Fear Factory. Probably the scariest 'haunted' house.
-If your budget allows, you can go horseback riding at sunset on the shores, or jet-boating on the river.
-Go visit Niagara on the Lake.
-Go visit a winery. They have so many wineries that make wines on the location, and there are good tours also, many of them free of charge with sampling at the end.

DONT
-Eat at the restaurants around the Falls, ridiculously expensive for average food. If you must do it, then I would suggest the Hard Rock Cafe, alot of cool things inside as well as a good variety of food.
-Take any alcoholic beverages in a restaurant, they charge a VERY hefty alcohol tax, and it hurts. Case in point, my strawberry daiquiri ended up costing me 18$. I ahd a heart attack.
-Fall in to all those attractions on Clifton Hill, really not worth it.
-Buy any souvenirs until you have seen everything!
-Buy any of those pictures that the places take for you (like on the boat). You will take much better ones yourself and you will not have paid 30$ + for them.
-Pay full price for anything. They have a coupon booklet for just about everything and they give them out just about everywhere.

I am iffy about Marineland because although it was really awesome to see the whales and other sea creatures, I dont know if it was worth 50$ a person.

Happy Birthday Jeff!

Chicken and sausage chili

Cornbread

Double Chocolate Caramel Drizzle cookies

I am so grateful!

Life is amazing. I have such generous friends. I recently just made an Amazon Wishlist and posted it out of fun for my friends who call me backwards to have a good chuckle out of. I put some books and a sewing machine on the wishlist, and one of my classmates commented on the post, saying that she hadn't known I had wanted a sewing machine. She was going to put it up on Kijiji, but that she would rather give it to someone she knows. So I got an almost brand new sewing machine with all these fantastic options for free. I just cant believe my luck. I am so thankful for this!

My new sewing machine!

Second amazing news is we have a new adopted member in our family! Clover, born January 14th. What a fuzzy little bundle of joy!

My dog

is honestly the sneakiest dog in the world. I left the bottom of a bowl of broth from my soup supper on the table, and she had been eyeballing it since I set it down. Since becoming progressively older and grumpier, her manners have been worsening and she does things she wouldnt have dared to try 5 years ago. So back to the story, I had to go to the bathroom, assuming that this carpet of a dog sleeping on the couch would not cause me grief.

How wrong was I? Im not a couple of minutes in, and what do I hear? The sound of my dog gleefully lapping up the remnants of my soup. Ick. Naturally I holler at her to stop, which she doesn't, of course. I finish my business, and head out, and where is she? Chomping away at her own food, looking up at me with an air of complete innocence, as if to say 'What are you yelling for, Ive been here this whole time?'.

Sneaky dog.




Who can say no to that face?

 

Life is full of coincidences..

For the past four years I have been thinking about starting a collection of memories that I still have about my father. I have hesitated and haven't started because.. well I don't really know why I haven't done it. I had a grand old idea of writing down what little I could remember, then asking everyone who would to write theirs down also. Maybe as a gift to my Yiayi, maybe as a memento to be shared between his three daughters, or maybe something for my children to read when they ask me what their grandfather was like. I don’t know what I would have done with it, had it come to completion. But for whatever the reason, it never got done.

I had pretty much forgotten that idea (consciously or unconsciously) and had many other things that deserved my attention. But life will have its ways, and will mess up your well laid-out plans. I arrived about half hour early to one of my classes last Tuesday night, and I sat down with my book, since I was alone, and the teacher was in the next room correcting some papers. I didn’t get two sentences read when she came in the room and started to talk, continuing a sort of debate that we had never gotten to finish. A few more students came wandering in, and they also joined the conversation. Then, seemingly out of the blue, she turns to me and says ‘I finally figured out where I remembered you from!’ To put everyone into context, I came into St-Willibrord in the middle of grade 3, and she was a Kindergarten teacher, so we had both assumed she recognized me from seeing me in the halls. Or so I thought.

She then continued on with saying:

‘I met your father in the Alibi once, when my husband and I went in to play pool. He was with a friend, and seeing as how we four were the only people in the bar apart from the bartenders, he immediately hailed us over and asked us to play pool with them. I didn’t know him, we were complete strangers, but he acted like we were friends who he hadn’t seen in awhile. Before long he was buying everyone shots and we had so much fun! That was a month to the date before he passed away. I thought you would want to know.’

Incredible, isn’t it, how even now, even 12 years after he passed, I still meet people who knew my father, and tell me about him. The most unlikely person, that I would never have connected with my dad turns out to be my teacher in a course that I didn’t even want to take in the first place, randomly tells me this memory she had of him. They met once for a few hours only, yet he marked her and her husband enough that 12 years later, she would meet his youngest daughter and tell her of this one night when a random man played a friendly game of pool with complete strangers.

How extraordinary is that? What an extraordinary man my father must have been. Maybe this is God’s way of kicking me in the butt for not doing what I was thinking of doing 5 years ago...