Jackie J

Wheelchair Madness

2011-08-12T10:33:00.008-06:00

I was courteous when I saw that 2 wheelchairs were about to get on the bus. I got up, pulled the seats up to make room for them and then moved my stroller as far out of the way as possible. Little did I know I'd be listening to the lady complain for 40 minutes about things that were out of my control. What I did control though, was my temper. I was proud of myself...but another part of me feels like I should have just punched her.

Here's what she complained about:
1) The priority seats were made for wheelchairs not strollers. The petition that allowed mother's with infants to have the right to the same priority seating as people in wheelchairs is unfair.
2) All strollers on the bus should be folded up. (Yeah, maybe when you have a small stroller with a toddler init. But not an infant and a car seat attachment)
3) She kept sliding out of her wheelchair because she was unsafe. (Unsafe isn't the word I would use. Maybe if she'd stop eating babies, she would fit in her wheelchair)
4) Transit should make seats for carseats in the back of the bus. (Moron)
5) People with strollers don't want people in wheelchairs on the bus. (I had no problem with it, until this encounter)
6) She carried everything when she had kids, why can't mother's do that nowadays. (Because it's not 1950 dillhole)
7) Handi-Transit wasn't an option because it is for seniors. (Bullshit - I looked it up when I got home...she's just lazy)

I think she was just milking her disability. I understand that she needed room on the bus, and I tried my best. But it was cramped. When I take the bus, I know it may be uncomfortable and packed...but I just sick it up. This lady obviously didn't know how to do that.

It made me so angry that she expected me to fold up my stroller. If I had done that I wouldn't have been able to carry everything I had. Stroller, car seat with my child in it, diaper bag and my purse. When she gets a little older and can walk...then yes, but not now. The whole time she kept calling mom's with strollers "you people". I don't know what it is about those two words...but that made me even angrier.

Bottom line is - if you would like people to be sensitive to your needs, be sensitive to theirs. Don't repeatedly complain about things that are out of your control. You'll just piss the people off around you to the point that they would feel happy beating you just so you shut the fuck up.

Pregnancy - Tidbits People Don't Talk About

2011-06-29T08:31:00.008-06:00

When my husband and I first decided to start "trying" (ha ha, I always found it funny when we used this word in place of procreate, reproduce, copulate...), I really didn't know what pregnancy would be like. To put it plainly, I just knew I was going to gain weight, have great hair, feel uncomfortable, have trouble sleeping, endure pain at the end during labour...and bring home an addition to our family. I figured I would just take it as it came. Like I try to in most situations in life.

Aside from being very ill one day (before I knew I was pregnant), after I had a couple glasses of wine the previous night, I had hardly any side effects. Well, at least when you compare with other peoples' pregnancies. At 4 months along, I started to feel acid reflux coming on and I couldn't drink hot beverages because they made me nauseous. What I didn't see coming was emotional retardation. This is a side effect of pregnancy that no one really goes into detail about. For me, not being able to control my emotions is the worst thing. I was not myself at all. When a pregnant woman says "it's the hormones talking", she is not just finding something to blame. She's being honest.

Thankfully, emotional retardation only lasted 2 weeks. After that, I just had to get over being embarrassed that I said things that were out of my control.

Then, there's the H word...haemorrhoids. I really don't think this needs explanation. Although, I would like to point out that when you push out a baby...these also get pushed out. Thankfully...you can't feel them for at least 4 weeks after delivery.

The last thing that took me by surprise was post-partum hair loss. I knew I'd lose hair...but I had no idea how much. It was everywhere. Normally when you have long hair it finds it's way around the vacuum cleaner brush, in the dishwater, in the occasional meal and in tufts under the bed. At the peak of post-partum hair loss, there was not an inch of floor spared...we found it in ice cubes, weaved into clothing, clogging every drain, in the toilet and when I finally found a piece in my daughter's diaper I began wearing a ponytail to restrain it.

But when it comes down to it, this little girl was worth it. She is beautiful and truly one of God's gifts to us in this harsh world.

Middle Finger Photo Opps

2011-05-18T16:51:00.009-06:00

When you have a baby, you tend to take a lot of photos. We already have so many and Calleigh is only 3 months old. Upon trying to catch that gorgeous smile or crazy facial expression...I have caught her middle finger creep up in the cutest of poses.

The one finger salute, the bird and flipping off are all short terms to explain the usage of said finger. The gesture may be of Roman, Greek or Mediterranean origin. In Rome it was used as an insult and in the Mediterranean world, it was used to divert the threat of the evil eye.

The origin of using the Digitus Impudicus (indecent finger) is not known for certain. But, it is a gesture meant to belittle another. Making them ones sexual inferior.

It's ridiculous really. Every man and woman knows what this finger gesture means. If we have a clear line of sight, we can deliver this message to anyone and everyone. And my child has discovered it much too early.

Cake Cake Cake

2011-05-09T11:46:00.003-06:00

As a child, I always appreciated the cakes my Mom and Aunty would make for birthdays. And as I grew older, and thought of having my own family someday...I hoped I could make those same memories for my children.

So, over the last few years I have made a few cakes. Some decorated with icing and some with marshmallow fondant. I have gotten pretty good at putting cakes together for birthdays. And recently, I got the chance to make one for a baby shower.

Since this baby shower was for one of my closest friends, I enjoyed making this cake even more. I was especially happy when the baby arrived at the shower wearing a shirt with a similar design on it. What are the odds?!

Baby Shower Fun

2011-05-08T09:05:00.005-06:00

My close friend recently had a baby, so I decided to plan a baby shower for her. I wanted it to be a little funny...not just your average Baby Shower. So I planned a game that I thought would guarantee a laugh from most people in attendance.

Pin The Sperm On The Egg
This is basically
"pin the tail on the donkey",
but altered to be the perfect
baby shower game.

It went over pretty well. Most people got up to try it out.

Broken Family History

2011-05-02T08:27:00.009-06:00

I come from a divorced family. Essentially this means my family is broken. When I was 13 and my siblings even younger, Mom sat down to inform us of the changes happening in our household. The major one being that Dad would no longer be living with us. After so many years of hearing "it'll be okay" from my parents on different occasions...Mom was saying that our household was broken and unfix able.

It has been many years since this happened. Yet this brokenness has come back to bite me in the ass a few times. Like a publicly known skeleton in our closet. It comes out to show it's ugly head during the most important times in our lives.

For instance, on my wedding day. I wasn't nervous about the new life I was starting...I was nervous about my parents and their significant others being in the same place at one time.

The latest, was with the birth of my daughter. Both my parents are dating/living with a significant other. The thought had crossed my mind about the "grandpa" and "grandma" titles. But I don't quite feel comfortable having my daughter apply the new additions to my parents' lives these family titles. This is nothing against the people in question. This is that 13 year old girl in me crying out. Begging me to hold on. Except I don't know what I'm holding onto. I have no illusions of my parents reconciling. They aren't even on speaking terms.

Is this right or wrong? Who is to say? Who makes the adjusted rules for broken, then somewhat mended family's? Life is so hard already, I don't need this frustration. But it is here...and I have to make a decision.

It's times like these when I remember the days when I would say "I want to be a hermit or a truck driver when I grow up". Just so I could have less human interaction. I really hate dealing with people sometimes...they just make things so complicated when they don't need to be.

The significant others in this case need to be sensitive of the skeleton in our closet. But I have yet to see this happen. I am not even sure both my parents understand my frustration. They are, after all, experiencing a different side of this whole situation.

Espresso Pooper

2011-04-29T20:04:00.004-06:00

This baby just doesn't know how to keep it in her diaper. Some days I don't know why I bother dressing her. Almost every day she poops all over the first outfit I dress her in. What a baby!

From across our 2 bedroom apartment I can hear her fill her pants. Today I was sitting with her and she rumbled in my lap. As she pushed I could see her onsie puff up on her back. Poop all the way to her ear. I find myself wondering, "is this normal?" I'm not going to complain though. She doesn't spit up or puke much...so we're lucky. It also helps that she sleeps 7-9 hours straight a night. What a blessing she is...so happy I can have a great night sleep so I can enjoy my maternity leave taking care of this cute little babe of mine.

Dogs - Oh How I Dislike Them

2011-04-10T21:13:00.007-06:00

For some reason, I have always despised dogs. Growing up, the only pets I really had were goldfish...oh, and a kitten for about a month. I had to give the kitten away once my Mom discovered it in my room.

Some people treat dogs like they are people. Well I have news for them. THEY ARE DOGS. No, a dog doesn't need its own seat at the dinner table. No, a dog doesn't need to wear a sweater when there's a chill in the air. No, a dog doesn't need to share your ice cream...and no, it's not ok to have your dog lick your face.

I guess I just don't understand that bond people have with a family dog.

That last one really gets me. It's so gross it makes me gag. These people never stop to think about where that tongue has been. Forgetting that a dog licks its ass with it. GROSS! I look away when a dog is about to lick someone's face...just like I look away when homosexuals kiss. It's just not a natural thing to me (if you don't like this statement, complain about mine on your own blog). Therefore, I do not want to see it. 9 times out of 10, the dogs' tongue ends up licking their teeth too. Come on people...if you need your teeth cleaned, try a toothbrush. You'll get less hair in your mouth.

Recovery

2011-03-21T17:28:00.002-06:00

Calleigh is now 5 weeks old and we're both doing great. I almost feel back to normal. I had gained 40lbs during my pregnancy and I am already 40lbs lighter. Crazy!! I guess it helps when you have a big baby. Nursing has also helped my body heal.

This beautiful baby girl of ours is so healthy and strong. She amazes us on a daily basis. I waited so long to be a mom and I love it.

No...I don't miss work or my coworkers at all.

I enjoyed designing my own baby announcement and am thinking about what I will do once this year is done and I have a 1 year old running around the apartment. I will work my old job part-time from home...and I am thinking about starting up a website so I can design baby announcements, birthday invites and other printed materials. I love designing...and I have a year to improve on what I already know.

My Baby Girl Has Finally Arrived!

2011-03-20T11:05:00.010-06:00

Calleigh Rabecca-Lynn was born at 6:25am on February 12, 2011. She weighed 9lbs 11oz and was 22" long.

Calleigh is my first child. So, I didn't know exactly what to expect when it came to labor. I assumed it would be painful and difficult. My attitude was simply this - I wanted to trust that my body knew what it was doing. God made it for this purpose. There was no way I was going to worry about labor when I really had no clue what it would be like for sure. I would take everything as it came. One contraction at a time.

After taking it one contraction at a time - 36 hours later Calleigh was finally born. Around hour 26 I had my first drug...nitric oxide. It made me feel loopy, so I passed on having anymore. Hour 28 came and so did the anesthesiologist. I wanted an epidural at that point, but they would have given me one anyways. Calleigh's heart rate would drop each time I my body would push...I just couldn't help it. An epidural was administered and I was moved to a sterile emergency room. During the journey to see my beautiful girl I also had a couple toppers in my epidural line that made me feel practically nothing, my water was broken, an episiotomy was done and Calleigh was vacuumed out. By 6:25am the nurses removed the cord from her neck and I heard her first cries. I was so tired...but what an amazing experience!! The whole time the doctors, nurses and midwife were ready to do a c-section. I am so happy that didn't happen! That was scarier to me than any of the drugs and even pushing her through a natural birth.

When you have complications, you lose your private room. So after the birth, we went to our shared room. Our roommate snored like a trucker all night and half the day. I hardly had any rest during our 3 day stay there. And when Feb. 14 came, I insisted that they discharge me. They told me I had high blood pressure...and I responded with "I have high blood pressure because I want to kill my roommate." The nurse was surprised at my comment, but we were discharged that day.

Within an hour of being home, even Calleigh's body language changed. She was more relaxed. And now we have this beautiful baby girl to raise. She's healthy and happy and already sleeping through most of the night.

No, I Will Not Do Your Job For You

2010-12-21T13:49:00.004-06:00

I know how to do my job. If something should come up, pertaining to it, and I am not sure how to tackle it, I take it upon myself to figure it out. After all, it is MY responsibility. What is not my responsibility, is figuring out your job. This is where I butt heads with my coworkers.

I don't mind helping people. But when I am constantly interrupted because my coworker(s) encounter something they don't know how to do or are just nervous about doing themselves, they come to me. Now maybe this appears to be a good thing. Obviously they think I have the knowledge to deal with whatever it is they need to resolve. But when it comes in the way of my pile of jobs, I get frustrated.

During my busy time, I can have anywhere from 6 to 16 jobs running at a time. These jobs are usually at various stages of completion. Brochures, newsletters, letterhead, business cards...and more. It is my job to juggle these things. And I actually do quite well.

Here's my beef: Christian, non-profit organizations
They seem to be run so poorly. They should be run like a business. However, the ones I and others I know have encountered are horrible. Because these organizations employ Christian people, coworkers seem to think that everyone is there to help them with their job. Now, it is nice to help each other, but you should know how to do your job. When I say "no, I can't help you with that", they look at me in awe. Like the answer should always be "yes" and I am going against God's unwritten "yes" rule. I am juggling my own work load and rarely have time to pick up the pieces.

The things I am asked to do are simple, but seem to be never ending. Like today for instance. I was asked to follow instructions to go online and download an up-to-date Microsoft program. I could do this no problem. But this is the job of the front desk personnel. BUT, the front desk personnel is nervous about doing it. So she asked if I would. When I told her that I wasn't sure when I'd be able to find the time to do it between the 12 jobs I have on the go, I could almost see the terror in her face. Terror? Yes actual terror.

In my opinion, she needs to find a job that has less to do with technology. If you are that scared of it...you need to resign so someone with the proper qualifications can replace you.

Thankfully I will be going on maternity leave soon, and wont have to deal with these situations much longer. Although, I wouldn't put it past them to call me at times to ask how to do something or to ask me to come in to help. This is where caller ID will be my life-saver. My husband doesn't have a job at the moment and I am worried about finances, but I am perfectly willing to forfeit cable to avoid anymore frustrations from coworkers.

Natural Miracle

2010-12-20T10:42:00.003-06:00

What I thought was the baby pushing against my ribs over the last couple weeks may actually be braxton hicks contractions. They are quite annoying, random and very uncomfortable at times, but not painful.

Braxton Hicks contractions are normal at this stage in pregnancy or as early as 16 weeks. They are the muscles of the womb tightening. The purpose is to tone the muscle fibers so they are ready for labor.

I can see why some women would be alarmed by these. But I have tried to prepare myself for the normal stages of pregnancy by knowing about things before they happen. I know I can't be 100% prepared by doing this...but I do think it helps. The more you know, the less you panic. That's the way I see it. So for now I'm just living day to day life normally - with the addition of all that comes with begin 34 weeks pregnant of course.

So far so good. This baby girl is doing great, I'm healthy, and everything is on schedule. But I have to admit, I wouldn't mind if she came in early or mid January. You're probably thinking this is because I'm hoping for a small baby - but that's not it at all. It's simply that I can't wait till she arrives. I know labor will be intense and life will be difficult to adjust to, but I'm not nervous. God designed us this way and all that comes with pregnancy is a natural miracle. I'm just going to try to ride the waves as best I can.

Stressed

2010-12-10T11:45:00.002-06:00

Some days it's easy to be positive and look on the bright side - others not so much. Today is one of those other days. I just want to curl up into a ball and sleep the weekend away. It's tiring trying to put a positive spin on everything.

I am just not as excited for Christmas as I usually am. All this stress has sucked the life outta me. And this poor baby knows. On the days that I am stressed, she seems to move less. I've noticed this a few times over the past month.

It's funny. When we are teenagers, we can't wait to get out of our parents house, have our own money and live by our own rules. But at the time, we are clueless as to how difficult adult life can get. I know I am in a better place than some people. But when I'm in the midst of so much life change and interruption, it's hard to be positive all the time.

I take comfort in knowing that things wont always be this way. Things will get better, issues will be resolved and positive things will take place. I'm just waiting for this storm to pass.

No! It's A Secret

2010-12-09T12:05:00.005-06:00

We know we're having a girl, so my husband and I have decided to keep her name a secret until she s born. This is driving some people nuts. Especially my mother. I find it amusing when she asks me what we decided on. After I respond with "it's a secret", she asks if I would tell her if she guessed. I still say no and laugh as she grumbles.

There is still the small chance that Baby Moon was wrong and we could have a surprise on our hands when the baby is born. So we are also deciding on a boy's name just in case. Although, I'm not sure what we'll do with all the girly stuff we've received so far. But we'll deal with that when and if it comes.

7 weeks and 1 day to go before my due date. I have to admit, I am so excited for her arrival, I hope she comes a couple weeks early. My pregnancy continues to be going well. I have hardly had any sickness, and the times I have been sick, I'm sure were a result of stress. The worst thing so far has been acid reflux. And that's ok with me. Even though it is irritating, there are just so many other things that I could be experiencing. Worse things! Like morning sickness, round ligament pain, sciatic nerve issues...I am thankful that both the baby and I are doing so well.

Low Tolerance

2010-12-07T10:38:00.002-06:00

So I'm just getting ready to leave McDonalds when I notice this girl asking every person in the place if they'd give her money for food. I have to admit, seeing this made me leave much faster. I realize that some people need help and that we should be generous...but I wasn't in the greatest mood to begin with that day.

As I leave, I see in the corner of my eye that she has spotted me. I started to feel annoyed as she followed me out the door. As she followed me she said, "excuse me" a couple times, but I just kept walking towards the grocery store. Once inside, she was preoccupied by all the other people in the lot.

But when I came out a few minutes later, there she was. Her and her freshly dyed, lemon yellow hair were now smoking a cigarette. I witnessed her follow another lady to her car. As she grabbed her shoulder so she could ask her for money, the lady was startled. I could tell she didn't appreciate this desperate attempt.

As soon as she was denied, the beggar came towards me. I am nice to people sometimes. If someone asks for money for food, occasionally I will offer to buy them food. If asked for money for the bus, I will give them a bus ticket. What bothered me about this girl was that she had a full pack of smokes and had clearly just dyed her hair. So when she finally asked me, I said "no". "Maybe you should have used what you spent on those cigarettes and that crappy hair dye for food."

Yeah, I know. Horrible. Maybe it was my mood, that I'm 7 months pregnant or maybe it's just that I'm a jerk. So many younger people are out on Winnipeg streets trying to live free. They have no clue what it's like to work and feel good about being paid for their time. I don't understand why they'd rather beg than accomplish something more.

What a Crazy Couple Months

2010-12-06T11:00:00.004-06:00

This year has been one of new beginnings...the happiest being the baby girl brewing in my belly since late April.

In the middle of October we decided to start house hunting with the hopes that we could be new home owners by Christmas. Sadly, owning a home is something we have to wait a couple years for now. Early November we found bed bugs in the apartment and shortly after that, my husband was informed of his termination at work. We quickly decided our next step was to find a new apartment. 3 weeks later, we found one, applied and were approved. Then in the beginning of December, we got word that our apartment was due to be fumigated again. There are many other irritating details we had to deal with along the way, but we're hoping that the beginning of January will bring something positive into our lives.

I know stress isn't good for this baby. So, I tried to deal with this end of year craziness with as little stress as possible. These troubles were out of our hands. There was nothing we could do once they arrived except move forward. I hope I can always have this view. It really does make things easier to handle.

Life is always going to throw surprises at you. The most important thing you can do is breathe, and think about your next move. Not wallow in the horrible state of things. That wont help you and in most cases, will make things worse. The only way to live is to take charge of the things within your power and leave the rest to the big man. He knows what's coming and will never put you through anything you can't handle. Trials make us stronger. Think back on your life and the situations you have faced. I bet you'll find that your trials have indeed made you stronger.

8 weeks and 3 Days To Go

2010-12-01T11:12:00.003-06:00

I am 31 weeks and 4 days along now and I still haven't adjusted to the 6 trips to the bathroom a night. I try not to drink too much before bed, but being pregnant, that's when I am the thirstiest. Last night I was up almost every hour.

Being up so often, I notice things that I normally wouldn't. My favorite, is the random giggles that come from my sleeping husband. Life has been a bit of a struggle for us lately, especially him. So hearing his occasional giggle makes me smile. At least he's enjoying whatever it is his mind is inventing overnight.

Being up so often is annoying. But between the husband giggles and the baby kicks, I hardly have the time to be angry about not being able to fall back asleep.

I really do feel blessed to have this baby brewing. When I tell people this, they always talk about how bad things are going to be once the baby arrives. Like how tired I'll be. I am not naive. I know what's coming.

I wonder why people feel the need to stomp on my expectations. This is my first baby. I am not nervous about caring for her and I know it will be difficult at times. But so is everything else in life. If it's worth your time, it's going to require some effort. This is my time to be a mother. So let me be happy with the stages I'm in and let me get frustrated at times. I know in the end, I'll be happy that I've had the opportunity to be a mom. I am excited when I think of things to come, and I wont let anyone suck the life out of that excitement. You're welcome to have your opinions - just know that I will also have mine!

Baby Shower

2010-11-29T14:59:00.006-06:00

We had our first baby shower about 2 weeks ago. It was so great to see all the people that showed up, excited for our baby's arrival. Generally, I hate opening gifts as people watch, but I didn't mind this time. A baby shower is just so different than a birthday. A celebration of things to be.

We received a lot of great things. A bathtub, Diaper Genie (Jer is super excited about this one), clothes of all different sizes, diapers, a stroller, a couple stuffed animals and much more. Jer and I are so excited to use it all once our baby girl is here in January!

Sadly though, we had to leave it all at my Aunt's place. We just didn't have room for it in our apartment. And since the whole bed bug scare, we haven't wanted to bring anything new into our apartment just in case. I know I'm going to re-live the excitement once we start getting the baby room together and see everything that's tucked away for the time being.

Christmas is Coming

2010-11-27T09:49:00.007-06:00

When I think about Christmas, I think about how much I enjoy making Christmas dinner, wrapping presents and spending time with my family. We always pull out a game or two as we wait for dinner to be cooked and again, to wrap up the day. Over the years we've found that some games are worth buying and some, not so much.

Here are 3 of our favorite games:
1) The Game of Things
Play Time: 20-60 minutes
Players: 7 or less
Each round, one person reads out a phrase. Like "things you shouldn't do at the circus". Then, everyone writes down their answer and the person who read the phrase, reads them all out and people try to guess who said what. We always end up laughing hysterically.
2) Pit
Play Time: As many or as little rounds as you want. Each round takes from 10-15 minutes.
Players: 4-8
Your goal is to get all the same cards in your hand (like the game spoons). To do so, you need to trade the cards you don't want by having them face down on the table and yelling out the amount of cards you need to trade with someone. This gets very loud, and crazy...which is why my family likes it.
3) Settlers of Catan
Play time: 45 - 90 minutes. Depends on how many players you have (up to 6 with expansion).
Players: 3-6
Earn a specific amount of points before the other players. The way you earn points is by building settlements, cities and roads and trading or selling commodity cards.

10 More Weeks

2010-11-22T10:51:00.004-06:00

Yes! I just entered into my 31st week of pregnancy. Strange how time has flown by. To date, the experience has been great! With the exception of one day of round ligament pain and the occasional back/leg cramp. I have been lucky so far. I have heard many pregnancy horror stories over the past couple months...and my experience has been nowhere near what I've heard described.

Funny how people only tell you the bad things after the fact. The same thing happened when I had to have my wisdom teeth removed years ago.

There's nothing as amazing as feeling the movement of your baby within your womb. I'm in awe on a daily basis at how God has designed our bodies to carry such precious cargo.

During the past 2 weeks, the feeling of movement has changed from light jabs to rough jabs and controlled movement. I can usually tell now, whether she's just moved her feet and hands, a joint like an elbow or knee or her head. I can feel that she is getting bigger and running out of room.

Here are a few things that are sure to make her move:
Movie Theater Opening Credits
It never fails. I love movies, and every time I'm sitting in a theater and the opening credits roll down the screen accompanied by base that can be felt right through the floor, she adjusts herself. Maybe she's trying to watch through my belly button.

A Bus Ride
Maybe it's the vibration of the bus that gets her going. When she moves at these times, I just can't help but unzip my coat and feel for her movements. Perhaps she's excited to travel just like her mom.

Slouching
She's got limited space...so when I slouch, she moves. It's like she's training me to have better posture.

Mondays
Yes, Mondays. Sundays are usually the days I relax. So maybe she relaxes too. Then Monday comes, I sit in my office to start work and she starts the somersaults. I suspect that just when I start liking Mondays, I will be on maternity leave and have no use to hate them anyways.

Baby On The Way

2010-11-15T15:02:00.003-06:00

When Jer and I decided it was time to start a family, we never gave much thought to just how many people would be excited for us.

When thinking about who we'd invite to our baby shower yesterday, we didn't realize just how many people would show up. Roughly 30. Crazy! Every person there was someone I care about and I guess, they feel the same way. Otherwise they wouldn't have shown up. Everyone is super excited for us and this baby entering our family. And that comes as such a comfort, especially considering the rough couple weeks Jer and I have just gone through.

I really am blessed to have so many awesome people in my life. Knowing full well that I don't deserve them. There are times when life is going so well and I look at my surroundings and wonder what I did to deserve these great people and circumstances. Nothing comes to mind. But I accept what's been given to me, and hope that I can be of some comfort to others, the way they have comforted me. Even if they have no clue about what an encouragement they've been.

Change of Plans

2010-11-14T09:37:00.005-06:00

Recent developments have brought our house hunt to a halt. This is disappointing, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that it may just not be the time for us to buy a home. There are other plans in the making for us.

This current situation is just a small hurdle blocking our path. We are not the type of people to just sit and wait for someone else to come along and repair our lives for us. We have the means to move the hurdle if we look past what we WANT and focus on what we NEED.

So, instead of moping and feeling sorry for our situation I have decided to take the next step. If we can't buy a house, the next step is moving to a new apartment for at least a year. This isn't ideal, but our time in our current apartment has expired. We need new surroundings.

I came to these conclusions after I found a small book that I used to write inspirational sayings and my favorite Bible verses in. Here's the one that has stuck in my head for the past few days:

Trouble, and the grace to bear it come in the same package.

Paranoid About Bed Bugs

2010-11-09T12:01:00.005-06:00

Even though it has been a week since our apartment was fumigated for bed bugs, I am still worried. Any bugs that walk over any surface of our place that has been sprayed will die instantly...for 21 days after the initial spray. But...

Just when I was starting to get a better sleep, we found another bug. This time though, it was in the toilet, dead. When we thought about how it got there, there was only one explanation. The fan is almost directly over the toilet. So we taped plastic around the vent for now. This doesn't mean we have them in our bedroom. In fact, I am sure we don't. But it still made me uncomfortable as I tried to sleep last night. So the problem hasn't been solved, they're still living somewhere in the building...and traveling.

I'd love it if there was a way we could ensure that our apartment was sealed off from all the others. But I don't think that's possible. I've read articles that say they even walk across the halls to other apartments. Ick. What an annoyance.

The House Hunt Continues

2010-11-08T14:25:00.003-06:00

Shopping for a home is much different than shopping for anything else. There are so many things you have to consider before you even think about putting in an offer.

Out of the 12 homes we've looked at so far, we've really only liked 2. We put an offer in on one, but as soon as I heard that there were 5 other bids I realized that the chances of us winning the bid were slim. Especially considering the like new 2 car garage on the property. It went for much higher than we would have been able to offer, so we concluded that it just wasn't the house for us. It was nice to go through the bidding process though. I did learn a few things.

So we continue our search. There are so many awful homes out there. People just don't seem to up-keep their homes the way they should. Shingles can easily be replaced by my handy husband, but when there is an issue with the foundation, I turn and run. I've learned to look at homes from the bottom, up. There's no sense in picturing how you will live in a home, if the base of the structure is compromised by shifting or bowed walls.

One house that we loved as we observed the main floor disappointed us with a part basement with many large issues. One issue was the alarming slant of the home and shifting of the main support beam. They tiled the kitchen floor beautifully with ceramic tiles, but as soon as that house shifts a little too much, all those tiles will buckle and one of the nice parts of the home will become a hassle. I'm not into that. If it has a sound structure and has been maintained, I will consider bidding.

We suspect that we will look at many more houses and bid on a few before we can call a place home. Until then, we'll have fun looking at what's out there.

Bed Bugs

2010-10-29T14:50:00.002-06:00

Ew! I arrived home from work yesterday evening and as I was hanging my coat up, I asked Jer why our bedroom was turned upside down. His response was "I'll tell you when you're done." With all the bed bug talk on the news, I immediately said "we don't have bed bugs do we?" There was no answer. So naturally I was concerned.

I wasn't panicked...yet, just a little disgusted. After Jer pulled back the baseboards, the box spring, inside and examined the mattress he vacuumed everything. I know he did a thorough job, but that didn't help me from feeling hesitant when it came time to going to bed. He found 8 in total. Half in the bathroom and half ON MY SIDE OF THE BOX SPRING. Why they would just be on my side I have no idea. Once he told me that, I was even more grossed out.

It doesn't matter if you are a clean or dirty person, bed bugs will go for anyone carrying what they're after. Your blood! Thankfully they don't carry harmful diseases. But I'm still agitated that we have them. We suspect they are coming from another apartment. But who knows. They are so rampant in Winnipeg right now that we could have gotten them from a friend, the movie theater or some other source.

Extermination doesn't happen until next week sometime. So, while we wait we are going to inspect and vacuum every day, wash all our clothes and keep them in rubbermaid containers, wash our blankets daily and try hard not to sleep on the couch. They would follow us there, and infest our living room. So far they are only in the bathroom and bedroom...but they're crafty traveling little buggers. We've even started leaving the hallway light on all night in an attempt to keep them away from the living room and kitchen.

I feel so sick to my stomach at the thought of having these things invade our place. Especially when I wonder if they'll exterminate the whole building or not. If they don't, they'll just keep coming back.

We are in the process of looking at buying a house...but I don't want to bring these things with us! So I'm not sure if we'll have to put that on hold or not at this point.

I'm trying not to be paranoid. But it's difficult. On the up side, since we only found 8, we have a small scale infestation, and I haven't noticed more than 2 bites on me. So I'm hoping they can catch them before they get too bad.

Gotta Love A Good Spicy Snack

2010-10-11T20:23:00.012-06:00

My Aunt went to the states to do some shopping a few weeks back. When she told me she was going, I requested that she bring me a bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos. I got hooked on their crunchy, spicy flavor a couple years ago. I thought they'd eventually be sold in Canada...but I haven't seen them yet. So, I am stuck waiting until someone I know makes a trip down South.

Why is it that Canada doesn't sell the same things as the States sometimes? I'm guessing it's because they've tried and not sold enough. I hope they try selling Flaming Hot Cheetos one of these days. I'd be willing to buy a shipment just so I could have a lifetime supply all to myself.

When someone brings some back for me, I usually only get 1 or 2 bags. Normally I love sharing with others...but there are just some things that I like to hog. And Flaming Hot Cheetos are top on that list, right behind my family recipe cabbage rolls and Ontario beef jerky.

3D Ultrasound - It's A Girl!

2010-09-17T09:13:00.020-06:00

I was a little nervous about having both my parents in such a small room, but everything was fine. They even chatted a little about how much we all weighed as newborns. It was a great feeling, knowing that they could set their differences aside and just enjoy the moment with everyone.

Babymoon was quite a small place compared to what I had imagined, but Jer, me and the 8 family members we invited, managed to fit into the ultrasound room just fine.

It's amazing that we could share that experience with our families. Especially considering this was the first ultrasound that some of them had ever seen. This has made everyone even more excited about this baby. Which is great, because I suspect that I'm going to need some encouragement over the next 5 months.

Seeing everyone else so happy definitely makes the journey more bearable. Although, my pregnancy hasn't been tough so far, I know it's coming. I'm just taking it day by day.

Jer and I were both hoping for a girl, and when the technician confirmed that we were expecting a daughter, we were super excited! Jer is so happy, and I'm loving this side of him. He's just so stoked to be a Dad. I can't wait to see him hold her in his arms for the first time.

She looks healthy, as far as we could tell. She's got a normal heart rate and has all 10 fingers and toes. She's also quite the mover. She likes to move early in the morning and late at night. And this morning, Jer got to feel her kick for the first time. After a few nights of me telling him she was moving and him not being able to feel anything, he was so happy.

Divorce - Like a Skeleton in Your Closet

2010-09-15T09:24:00.006-06:00

My parents separated and divorced many years ago. 17 years to be exact. At the time I was 13, and upset that our family, as unhappy as we were together, wasn't going to be a family anymore.

As a child we rely on our parents to fix and keep things together. For me, divorce meant something was broken and couldn't be fixed. This was devastating, especially when I thought of all the times I was consoled in bad situations by the words "it's alright, everything is going to be ok". No matter the situation, divorce is tough on everyone.

Over time, I got over it, but every once and a while I am reminded that the divorce of my parents takes my thoughts back a step. This tainted family past still tries to pull me under it's weight, but I try my hardest to be stronger than that brokenness.

When I was married in 2003, the most stressful thing for me was thinking about my parents being in the same place together. At that point they still weren't speaking to each other. And I was nervous about their girlfriend/boyfriend and the potential for a blow-up. But they all respected that it was my day, and everything went smoothly.

Now that my husband and I are expecting, we want to know the sex of the baby. So we're going to have an ultrasound at Babymoon tomorrow. I have been thinking for a couple weeks now about who I want there. Without hesitation I have invited my Mom & sisters and Jer has invited his parents, brother and grandma. I hesitated to invite my Dad, even though I really want him there, because him and my Mom are still not on speaking terms. But, I have decided to toss that aside. This is THEIR Grandchild...together or separate. If they could suck it up for my wedding, I'm sure they can do it again for our baby. What it all boils down to, is that it's important to me that they both be a part of this. That's the one thing that really matters.

First Ultrasound - Sept. 9

2010-09-13T14:55:00.006-06:00

Going into the ultrasound, I knew they were just measuring the baby. Mainly to check on my due date and that the baby was developing at a normal pace. I went into the appointment like I would to any other checkup.

When I first saw our baby, I was in awe. Not awe so cute...awe...I've reached another step in the journey. It's one thing to hear the heart beating - but to SEE it beating. To see it's little legs, hands, face and feet. Wow! Not only could we see it - it was also moving around quite a bit. At one point it had its bum up like it was doing a somersault. We saw it fold its hand into a fist, and shift from its right side to its left. And at 19.5 weeks, our baby was only 6" long. Crazy!

We're not sure what this little one is yet. But we'll find out this week at Baby Moon. At least I hope we will. Jer and I would like it to be a girl. But God is the only one who knows thus far. But that doesn't mean I'd be unhappy with a boy.

As far as names go, we haven't picked any yet. But I have a feeling it's going to be a bit of a battle. Jer likes newer, different names and I like older ones. I also would love to carry on names from my family. I think there's importance in remembering where you came from. Remembering all the people that came before you, and made it possible for you to exist.

I Can Deal With It

2010-08-23T15:23:00.005-06:00

So...being pregnant and being me, I think I'm going to have to change it up a bit. I have decided I'm going to try and keep my temper at bay by dealing with the incompetence in my work place differently than normal.

Instead of getting angry. . .
OPTION 1 - Mild annoyance
Breathing exercises. This is less amusing than the other options, but effective if the issue is a small one
OPTION 2 - Visualization (my favorite)
Breathe deeply, followed by visualizing the issue (whomever it may be) being chased by an angry bear. No blood, just lots of chasing and screaming, and maybe some tripping. Sometimes this can provide more laughter than others. It depends on the person being visualized, and their reaction to stress.
OPTION 3 - Shut it out
Close the office Door. This is most useful when I know my temper is about to flare, and it is a give-in that I will have nothing nice to say. Especially helpful if I still have a few work days left in the week. After all, if I yell at someone on Friday, they may forget about it by Monday. If I'm really annoyed, shutting the door while the person is talking amuses me enough to simmer my temper.
OPTION 4 - Sudden sickness
The day is too much to handle. Tell the boss I'm "not feeling well". Then proceed to do whatever work needs to be done, at home in peace. Knowing my concentration will not be interrupted makes me so much more productive.

Space Ship in My Belly

2010-08-19T07:52:00.002-06:00

Jeremy, my mom and I met with my midwife a couple days ago. She told us more detailed information about what a midwife does, and answered a few questions.

So far my blood pressure is good...and the baby's heart beat was great (150). And this time Jer got to listen in. I expected him to tell me it sounded like an alien...instead, he said it sounded like a space ship. My mom was even excited to listen in and I was glad she got to be a part of it.

One thing the midwife told us, is that the hospital I'd like to give birth in (St. Boniface), will not tell us the sex of our baby. So, we've decided to go with a private company even though we have to pay for it. We may even purchase a package where we get to take home 3D pictures of the ultrasound.

Tiny Little Heartbeat

2010-08-06T15:07:00.012-06:00

I got the chance to hear the heartbeat today. It was only for a few seconds...but still amazing. I had a split-second thought that maybe my doctor wouldn't be able to find it, and then...there it was.

Wow. It's just so amazing how God has designed our bodies to make new life!

Where Will I Hide the Popcorn?

2010-08-03T12:29:00.005-06:00

Ok, so I've been thinking a lot lately about how my stomach is going to jut out enormously during this pregnancy, and I just realized something.

Normally in the winter, when we're all bundled up with layer upon layer I use the extra space in my jacket for popcorn storage. I know, this sounds strange. But I am cheap and trying to eat better. I researched the calories and other crap that is in those bags of movie theater popcorn. It's sick!

Small Popcorn, No Butter Added - 573 calories.
Medium Popcorn, No Butter Added - 951 calories.
Large Popcorn, No Butter Added - 1283 calories.
And that doesn't even list the fat or sodium intake! And who gets popcorn without butter?!!

If you consider that the average woman should be having 2500 calories per day, and add in breakfast, lunch and dinner - you can see that those numbers are way too high. We also usually see a movie late at night, which is the worst time to pump your body full of junk.

So to get to my point. There have been a couple times where I have made popcorn at home, stuck it in a large bowl and tucked it into my winter jacket. On one occasion, someone I knew bumped into me and a few days later, my husband told me they were wondering if I was pregnant. Ha ha. The funny thing is, now I am. So popcorn storage is out. Shit.

My Carnivore Husband

2010-07-13T09:48:00.005-06:00

Yesterday Jeremy and I celebrated our 7th wedding Anniversary. 7 years! Where did the time go?! It seems like such a big number to me, but it hasn't felt that long. I am so lucky to have found my soul mate. As a child I saw the dysfunction of my parents' relationship, and vowed that I'd never get married. But I am so glad I changed my mind! I would be missing out on so much. What I didn't realized as a child, was that every relationship is different.

To celebrate our anniversary, we decided to go to Tony Roma's, our favorite restaurant. We had 30 minutes to wait for Jer's parents to join us, so we chatted until they arrived. I wasn't surprised to hear him talk about how he thought about what he'd be ordering all day long. And I admit, I was also thinking about what he'd be ordering. I was even less surprised that he wanted steak and ribs. "Ooooh" he says. "Adding shrimp is only $3 more". He just didn't believe me when I told him he didn't need 3 meats for dinner.

We've had conversations about this before. He just can't get enough meat. Sometimes, when I make small chicken breasts for dinner, he wants me to add another meat to the meal. Ha ha. What a man. Hey, don't get me wrong, I love chicken, fish and beef too. But there's such a thing as too much to me.

So, you're probably thinking, "why don't they just make more for dinner. Then he can have seconds." That would be great for him, but it could get quite expensive and add a lot more to both our expanding waste lines. One thing I have learned in my 7 years of marriage is that I can add fresh biscuits or bread to any meal and he is satisfied.

When we finally ordered at Tony Roma's, he looked as though his dreams were crushed when he only ordered steak and ribs. Next time, I think I'm going to keep my mouth closed. An extra meat (or two) every now and then wont hurt.

Pregnancy Thoughts

2010-07-09T08:29:00.005-06:00

During times where my body is obviously showing pregnancy symptoms - I do a lot of thinking. Here's the short version:

- Living off mat leave from E.I. will be difficult - but manageable
- Ahhh, it's such a comforting thought to know I wont have to be around my co-workers for a whole year after my baby is here.
- Do I want a girl or boy? Hmmm...I actually am fine with either one. Asuming I do have only one in there. Twins run in both our families. Yikes!
- I love knowing that my family is so excited for us. I think at times, they're more excited than I am. But that will change once I actually see our little one in an ultrasound, and once I feel it moving. Right now I just feel under the weather.
- Jeremy will be a great father. I can't wait to see that play out.
- I'm happy knowing my child will know and love their grandparents. I never knew mine well, and saw the ones in Ontario very little.
- After being a mom to my 2 youngest siblings, I can't wait to be a mom to my own children. It warms my heart to think about it.
- I no longer have to be annoyed at everyone having beautiful children while I have none. Ha ha.
- Someone asked me the other day if I "should be doing that". My response was "I'm pregnant, not dying." I know it's important to take care of myself right now. And I'm doing just that.
- I need new clothes - but I refuse to buy new ones, knowing I wont fit them in a month or so. This is where Value Village comes in.
- Labor is a little scary to think about, but for me what's even scarier is knowing that my boobs will only get bigger from here. Crap.
- Now that I'm in my 11th week, I don't have to pee as often. It's nice to get up only once per night as opposed to three or four times.
- Craving milk and then orange juice is bad. Also, after consuming said cravings, jumping on an exercise machine just mixes it all up. This is also not good.

Book: The Thirteenth Tale

2010-05-17T09:41:00.007-06:00

by Dianne Setterfield

This is a story about a young woman who grew up helping her father run a used book store. She developed a love for reading, researching and writing about the dead and what they did while they lived. At one point she receives a letter from a famous author that requests a meeting. Her intent is for the main character to write her life story, since she has kept details about her life secret up to this point. Once the two meet, she eats, sleeps and breathes the author's unwritten story.

I really enjoyed this book. It was funny that, at random, we decided to read this book after Jane Eyre. It is written in the same Gothic style and refers to Jane Eyre quite a bit. This book was much more enjoyable to read.

Book: Jane Eyre

2010-04-27T08:27:00.004-06:00

by Charlotte Bronte

Being in a book group, I feel it's necessary to read books I normally would not choose for myself. Before I started reading this one, I was sure I wouldn't enjoy it. I have never been one for gushy love stories in movies...but I realized after this book, that a book can be so much more than a movie can ever be. It allows for unlimited imaginative possibilities.

I actually enjoyed this book from start to finish. I did find however, that the story dragged on a little, and then, just as I was tired of it, the story would perk up. The imagery in the book is interesting and the characters are enjoyable. I may read the book again in a year or so.

Book: French Women Don't Gat Fat

2010-03-30T13:31:00.008-06:00

by Mireille Guiliano

This book was pretty good. Basically, each chapter talks about different things that work together to keep French women skinny. It's not a drastic diet book. It's more like a gradual eating healthy grouping of suggestions. I found quite a few very easy to implement.

When mentioning certain topics like chocolate, water and exercise, she explains why these things work. For example; Instead of just stating "you need to drink more water to lose weight", she gives details about how our bodies lose water and how drinking more water has more to do with replenishing the body and cleaning out the toxins than anything.

There are many other things she talks about. Most are common sense. But she talks about combining all these small changes and how they will add up, helping you to meet your weight loss goals and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

She has inserted quite a few recipes to aid you in your quest for good health. Most I wouldn't try. But some sound like something I could enjoy.

Great book.

Book: Me Talk Pretty One Day

2010-03-15T14:34:00.005-06:00

by David Sedaris
I have read many books by this author in the past. In fact, I own some.:
- When You're Engulfed In Flames
- Holidays On Ice
- Barrel Fever
- Me Talk Pretty One Day

When our monthly Book Group decided to read this book, I was excited. I had read it before and remembered enjoying it. David Sedaris' books are collections of short essays. Everything he writes about, stems from some experience he's had. For instance, he writes a lot about his family and the ways in which they annoy him. Which I find hilarious. Like the last chapter in this particular book, where he tells about his father's messy eating habits.

But, when I began to read it again, I was mildly amused, but it wasn't the funny book that I remembered. The first 4 chapters were quite hard to get through. It got a bit better as I read more, but I guess over the past couple years, my taste in books has changed. If you are looking to read some of his stuff, don't start with "Me Talk Pretty One Day". I recommend the first one on the list above, because it is the one that got me interested in his books. Then you can decide if you're up for more Sedaris or not.

Downhill Skiing...Quick Learner

2010-03-10T12:45:00.004-06:00

A couple weeks ago, my cousin Brittany was visiting Winnipeg. So I decided to join a bunch of my family members at Holiday Mountain for a few hours of downhill skiing.

Our two car loads left just before lunch time that Sunday afternoon. Lori driving one and Me driving the other. Naturally I made a few fun car CDs for the 90 minute drive. As we sang along to songs like "My Humps" and "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny" it occurred to me. This would be my first time downhill skiing. I got a little nervous.

Once we arrived, I got a little more nervous. Not so much that I was going to be ill, just enough to let me know that my body was opposing the fact that I was about to throw myself down a slippery hill strapped to a couple of waxed sticks. We walked in, paid and grabbed our gear. Out of the 12 of us, 4 got snow boards and the rest got skiis. I was nervous enough about skiing...I wasn't about to try snowboarding.

So, after I got to the top of the bunny hill conveyor belt (yes, the bunny hill), I stood there...looking down...wondering if I was going to break a leg on my way down. I decided that I was just going to go and figure it out on my way down. So, there I went. Down. Straight down the hill. Screaming, I picked up speed too fast and freaked myself out. I saw the lodge coming closer and closer so I panicked and decided to use my ass as a break. It worked...but in the process, I lost one of my skii poles. While I waited for someone to bring it to me, I thought "I should just go inside and wait for everyone to be done."

Then, I saw this little girl having the time of her life. She looked to be about 6 years old. At that point I told myself I'd go down 2 more times, and then decide if I would go sit down and wait for everyone else to be done. After all, if a 6 year old isn't scared of this, why should I be?!

The second time down, I learned how to control myself so I didn't fall. I skiied past the lodge, and when I made my way back into the line. Lori asked "where did you go? One minute you were going down, the next, you were gone."And the third time, I figured out how to slow down and stop.

After my group had handed in their gear, I was still skiing. This ended up being something that I love. Maybe next time I'll try something other than the bunny hill.

Camping Season is Near!

2010-02-10T09:10:00.026-06:00

I know it's early, but I love camping so much, that I am already anticipating summer 2010 and all the camping trips that will be had once the weather turns around. This reminds me of what last summer was and the trips that happened during July and August. The best one, was at Riding Mountain National Park.

Joelle and I had a great 3 hour drive to the park together (awesome sister time). The one thing I didn't realize, was that we had to pay per person, per day when we arrived at the park. Our campground was inside it so we payed $36. I was surprised and kind of annoyed considering an unserviced site at Wasagaming Campground was $31/night. So to be in the park and camp for two nights, we payed $98. And that didn't include Rachel, Jessica and Sandra who were coming in a separate vehicle, our food or gas.

Once Joelle and I arrived at our site, we set up the tarps and the tent. Once the other girls arrived, we grabbed a snack and took a drive to purchase firewood. Once we got back, we realized our fire pit was on a pole about two feet off the ground. It was difficult to get our fire going, but we managed. By walking through paths we found the town of Wasagaming. Checked out the tourism building and pocketed paper for our fire (paper was the one thing we had forgotten). There always seems to be something. :)

We decided we'd go on the Gorge Creek guided hike. A 2 hour hike on the Manitoba escarpment (yes, Manitoba has one). It rained all night, so we decided against it. We went on a hike that was more difficult than we thought, but when we arrived at a clearing, we could hear loons and were in awe of the beauty that surrounded us. We had a good laugh when the loons responded to our turkey calls. For the rest of the afternoon, we sat at our site and played "The Game Of Things" for hours. We laughed so hard at times that my stomach ached (this is how i gauge my level of fun - stomach pain). That evening we went to the Bison Enclosure. Once we got there, it was dusk. We saw no Bison at first, but the silence was amazing! Only crickets and frogs could be heard...until one of saw a bat and freaked out. As we left, we spotted a lynx. Then, in the darkness, we saw a huge bison walking slowly down a dirt road. We stopped and drove alongside it. It was taller than the car. We tried to take photos, I gave my camera to Sandra but she was so scared of it, the photo you see to the left is all she got. It gives me a good laugh every time. She got everything except it's genitals...which were very large. Ha ah ha.

One thing I adore about camping is the food. I don't like to take a camp stove, so we cook everything over the open fire. I figure, you have it going already, why not use it for more than roasting marshmallows?! Over the last couple years we have perfected our recipes. Potatoes, cooked with onions, butter, garlic, seasoning salt and farmer sausage is our favorite. And it's so easy, considering I do all the prep work at home. We just dump everything into a foil pan and cover. But our newest favorite, is biscuit on a stick.

The wildlife that we spotted during our stay in Riding Mountain were a bison, a lynx, a baby grizzly bear (we knew by the white mane), bats (ha ha) and an elk. Amazing! We were awe struck by the scenery and the wildlife. And even though it rained a lot, we had a great time. Even knowing that it's quite a bit more expensive than we thought it was to begin with, it was well worth it! I will be there again this summer for sure.

If you are planning a camping trip to Wasagaming, here are a couple tips:
1. Be ready for the daily park fee. There is a campground outside of the park, but odds are, that you'll want to take advantage of all that the park has to offer. Have more than 2 people/car, this way you can pay the family rate ($19/car load)
2. Bring some sort of fire starter or pick one up at the store in Onanole. They sell a little paper cup filled with wood chips and wax that was a lifesaver for us. The firewood isn't the best quality, you will need something to keep it going.
3. Ask about the fire pit on the site you want. The pits that are above the ground catch too much of a breeze and are harder to keep going than the ones on the ground.
4. Visit the bison enclosure during the evening, before sun down. The edge of the road meets with a heavily treed area. Wildlife could jump out at anytime.
5. Bring extra cash so you can make use of the kayaks, paddle boats or boat cruises they offer in the town of Wasagaming (on Clear Lake).
6. Visit the tourism office in Wasagaming. They have a lot of hikes to choose from, and the staff can tell you if they are easy, moderate or difficult.
7. Don't bother with the viewing towers. They were built a long time ago, and you really can't see the beautiful scenery over the trees anymore.
8. Have your camera ready.
9. Don't be scared away by the bear warnings. They monitor the grounds really well. If a bear has been anywhere near the site you have, they will move you if they feel it's necessary. If you follow their directions and keep your garbage bag in the trunk of your car, don't leave food outside or inside your tent, you will be fine.

Book: Say You're One Of Them

2010-02-09T22:38:00.008-06:00

This book is a little difficult to read. Here's why:

1. The story is written normally, but then in a strange way, breaks into characters speaking. - This just feels like an interruption every time
2. The characters who speak, speak VERY broken English. What I like to call engrish. - If you're going to write a story...use either or...not both English and engrish
3. There are bits of french mixed in with the engrish. - I hate French...so this angered me.

I wont be finishing this book. Got through roughly 100 pages, because I wanted to at least give it a chance. But it's not for me. Just another binding of kindling for the 2010 camping season.

For The Love Of Siblings

2010-02-04T16:19:00.006-06:00

I was clicking through Facebook pages and photos when I came across a photo of three people I know. They were piled on top of each other and looking at it, you could feel the love and laughter these three were enjoying the day it was snapped. I scrolled down to see a couple comments from others, one, caught my eye. "I wish I had a sister." I thought, "wow", I really haven't thought about how lucky I am to not only have one but two sisters and a brother. Just another example of how we take life for granted.

Things haven't always been great between my siblings and I. But they blossomed over the years into what we have now.

I am so thankful that I can laugh about things with my sister Lori. Over the last few years, Lori and I have been able to leave our sisterly aggressions in the past and enjoy each others company today. Our relationship wasn't always a happy one...but time and maturity have taught us both a lot.

Joelle and I have a bit of a different relationship, but it's equally as important. She's artsy and willing to do anything for a laugh. I love that about her.

I am 10 years older than Chad. I can remember when he was oh so small, and now...he's massive. I'm not talking overweight. He towers over me and when he gets in my way, there's nothing I can do to make him budge...except tickle him.

The best things about having siblings are the fun times where we laugh till our stomachs hurt and knowing that when I have kids, they will be more than I could hope for as aunties and uncles. That's so important to me.

Even though some people are not blessed with siblings, some friends can be just as special and important. After all, they are the family we choose. I just lucked out with the family I was given.

Book: Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult

2010-02-03T14:01:00.010-06:00

This is what I got out of this book:
1. It's possible to detect abnormalities through an ultrasound as early as 18 weeks - that's pretty early
2. Each chapter in this book is written from each of the main character's point of view - Different, but an effective way to write a story
3. Raising a disabled child is difficult - Ya think?
4. Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) is an extremely brittle bone disease - Interesting
5. I will NEVER read another Jodi Picoult book - No joke.

While there were interesting issues brought up in it's thought provoking pages, it was also a repetitive, quite depressing at times, too long and drawn out...and the good parts of the book were completely erased by it's ridiculous ending.

Tupperware Party Anyone?

2010-02-02T16:03:00.007-06:00

I usually steer clear of any party where there will be a room full of just women. This includes baby showers, tupperware parties, passion parties...etc. But my friend had committed to going to a tupperware party a couple weeks back and it seemed like she needed a party buffer. In case you are not familiar with my use of the word buffer, I am referring to when you go somewhere and you need a friend to lighten the pressure that get togethers bring. For instance, my friend Sam was always my family buffer. When I took her to my family functions, all eyes were on her and no one bothered to ask me annoying questions.

And back to the tupperware topic. So I volunteered to go with her to this party. First of all...they shouldn't call it a party. The host was so over excited about the plastic bins it was embarrasing. I was embarassed for her! I felt like I was a kindergartner at some points in her descriptive speeches. She had all the cheesy lines...but she was very knowledgable.

I could not believe how excited some women get about tupperware. Seriously...it's just plastic ladies. It was as though hearing about a pop top air tight container was bringing them to climax. One woman was so excited...she had no idea what to do with her hands. So the whole time, they were shaking above her shoulders. Another couldn't stop talking about how her husband gave her the cheque book, and the fact that she wanted to sock her kitchen with products.

Then came time to order. Everything in the catalogue was overpriced in my opinion. Everything. One friend wanted to buy sippy cups for her kids...she had to buy the lids separate. They were actually more expensive than the cups themselves.

There was one particular product that I thought was very, very strange. A bowl to cool hamburger meat in the microwave. My stomach turned at the thought of this. I just can't trust a microwave to cook meat thouroughly. And seriously people, it's not that hard to use the freakin stove and strainer!

Thank God I was with 3 friends. We laughed about things together. At one point, Carla and I had a laughing fit. The tupperware rep must have thought we were laughing at her. Well, we were some of the time...but mostly, we laughed at the names of containers. (Easy Access Bin - wouldn't you laugh at that?) I wonder if they paid someone to think up the fancy names so they could charge more.

I will be steering clear of any tupperware parties in the future. I just can't handle the bubbliness and exagerrated excitement over, over-priced plastic.

Life is tough. It's even tougher if you're stupid!!!!

2010-01-13T11:49:00.011-06:00

How do these people survive?
The following, is an email I received. I couldn't stop laughing. Enjoy!

ONE: Recently, when I went to McDonald's I saw on the menu that you could have an order of 6, 9 or 12 Chicken McNuggets. I asked for a half dozen nuggets. 'We don't have half dozen nuggets,' said the teenager at the counter. 'You don't?' I replied. 'We only have six, nine, or twelve,' was the reply. 'So I can't order a half dozen nuggets, but I can order six?' 'That's right.' So I shook my head and ordered six McNuggets.

TWO: I was checking out at the local Walmart with just a few items and the lady behind me put her things on the belt close to mine. I picked up one of those 'dividers' that they keep by the cash register and placed it between our things so they wouldn't get mixed. After the girl had scanned all of my items, she picked up the 'divider', looking it all over for the bar code so she could scan it. Not finding the bar code, she said to me, 'Do you know how much this is?' I said to her 'I've changed my mind; I don't think I'll buy that today.' She said 'OK,' and I paid her for the things and left. She had no clue to what had just happened.

THREE: A woman at work was seen putting a credit card into her floppy drive and pulling it out very quickly. When I inquired as to what she was doing, she said she was shopping on the Internet and they kept asking for a credit card number, so she was using the ATM 'thingy.'

FOUR: I recently saw a distraught young lady weeping beside her car. 'Do you need some help?' I asked. She replied, 'I knew I should have replaced the battery to this remote door unlocker. Now I can't get into my car. Do you think they (pointing to a distant convenience store) would have a battery to fit this?' 'Hmmm, I don't know. Do you have an alarm, too?' I asked... 'No, just this remote thingy,' she answered, handing it and the car keys to me. As I took the key and manually unlocked the door, I replied, 'Why don't you drive over there and check about the batteries. It's a long walk....' (PLEASE just lay down before you hurt yourself !!!)

FIVE: Several years ago, we had an Intern who was none too swift. One day she was typing and turned to a secretary and said, 'I'm almost out of typing paper. What do I do?' 'Just use paper from the photocopier', the secretary told her. With that, the intern took her last remaining blank piece of paper, put it on the photocopier and proceeded to make five 'blank' copies. (She was a brunette)

SIX: A mother calls 911 very worried asking the dispatcher if she needs to take her kid to the emergency room, the kid had eaten ants. The dispatcher tells her to give the kid some Benadryl and he should be fine, the mother says, 'I just gave him some ant killer......' Dispatcher: 'Rush him in to emergency!'

The Annoyance of fat cells

2010-01-04T11:28:00.005-06:00

Oh yeah, you know what I'm talking about. The frustrating battle with weight gain. I used to have the ability to consume large amounts of food and not gain a thing. But that all changed once I hit puberty, as it does for most women. We are all aware of the issue and how hard we have to work to overcome it or accept ourselves for who we are.

So what makes us gain? Besides the absence of will power?

1A. Laziness
That's right. Laziness. This can come in many forms. But tv has been the culprit for me. Growing up, I remember how much we used the tv as a babysitter. And I think that's part of my problem. I'm still allowing my tv to babysit me. But this particular issue has another part to it. And that my friend, is eating.

1B. Eating While Watching
Recently I watched a talk show that talked about eating while watching tv, and how this "activity" can actually make you eat more than you normally would. The impulse to bring food to your mouth enables you to ignore your stomach. This is a problem for many people.

Hmmm...well not all of us watch a ridiculous amount of tv. So what else makes us gain?
2. Fast Food
Have you looked at the calorie count, or anything on the list of ingredients and daily nutritional value of the food you buy at restaurants? It's CRAZY! Once you start looking at the content...and compare it to what you can cook at home, you will start to rethink eating out.

3. Cola/Pop
I don't even know why I drink this sometimes. But it's fizzy goodness always finds it's way into my apartment, and into my belly. Just cutting this out of your diet, eliminates a large amount of sugar that your body would just turn into fat.

4. Sugar
Even thought this ingredient makes us feel good while we're consuming it...we all know it will do the opposite in the long run. And it's in practically everything we eat. That's right, you take a look at the labels of the products you buy on a regular basis.

There are more I could add to the list. But you get the idea. All these things in combination, create an obese population with hunger for more. Walking right alongside them are 3 things.
1. A longing to feel good - which leads to the eating of feelings
2. A longing to fit into sizes that shouldn't even be possible - which leads to eating disorders
3. Will power
Each of these are chained to us. Like traveling companions. Number 1 is a bag of cheesecake bites. Number two is anger and resentment. And number 3 is shrinking...almost non-existent ability to say no. The only thing that will strengthen number 3 is number 4.
4. A kick in the ass - administered by your want to accept or change yourself

I've invited number 4 to live with me for the month of January. Hoping it will stay indefinitely.

Decorating With Fondant

2009-12-24T10:01:00.008-06:00

I have always loved to bake. And suddenly I have an urge to learn how to decorate cakes. I have such great memories of birthday cakes my mom and her sister made for my siblings and I. Big Bird, a poppel, Winnie The Pooh and so many more. I would really love to do that for my kids someday.

This October, I decided to make a Sponge Bob cake for my friend Carla's daughter Sophia. So I asked my Aunty Anne if she would help me pull it off. Anne did most of the work. I watched as she made the fondant out of icing sugar and marshmallows. Then added color, rolled it out like dough and then I helped her cut it into the shapes we needed.

A few days ago, I made a Hello Kitty cake for Carla's other daughter, Isabel, on my own. I broke it down into 3 parts.
1. Made the cake & iced it with regular icing
2. Made the fondant, & added color
3. Rolled out the fondant, cut into shapes needed, and applied it to the cake

The only thing I will do differently next time, is make sure I overlap the pieces. You can see some white icing through the colored stripes. Other than that, I think it turned out pretty good.

Book: The Secret Life of Bees

2009-12-16T12:13:00.008-06:00

After reading the heavy hearted book, "The Shack", this was refreshing. It's not the type of book I'd normally read, but I enjoyed it.

A 14 year old girl searches for love, belonging and information about her mom. Tragically she loses her mom at the age of four. She's left behind to grow up on a farm with her dad, who isn't the fathering type.

She runs away, following the only clue her mother left behind. A picture with the name of a town written on the back. She has no cidea what she'll find, but she heads out anyways. When she arrives, she finds her way to a bee farm. Here she learns about bees, her mom, herself and what love really feels like.

This book is set in a time where colored people are just beginning to have the right to vote. And addresses some racial issues. It made me think a lot about how extremely difficult it must have been for colored people to get through every day life. I'm glad things aren't the same today.

Book: The Shack is Done

2009-12-15T16:19:00.013-06:00

So I finished reading The Shack. Overall it was a good book. I can't say I'd read it again though. The first 4 chapters (and the introduction) are like any other book. Character building...leading up to the heart of the story.

Then, it spirals into the trinity as three separate beings in a transformed location. All for the purpose of reaching the main character, Mack, in a way that would be easiest for him to identify with. He's taught a series of lessons during his stay with the trinity. The main focus though, is forgiveness and healing. Which are two things that most of us do need a lesson in. It took me a while to get used to God being portrayed as a large black woman. Not because of her size or skin color...just because we all have our vision of God, and this was not what I had in my mind. But it does make you think about the world we live in and our individual interpretations of God. You really have to be open minded while reading this book, and remind yourself that it's just a story. But there are some great lessons to be learned throughout. Some "ah ha" moments where you can really relate with the main character.

I am not fond of the depth of biblical discussion this book has to offer. Maybe it's the fact that I am closed minded to church these days. I found I got lost in chapters 6 through 14. Having to re-read some paragraphs a couple times to understand what was being said, and take a break in between deep discussions.

The interpretation of what happens to people that are taken from the world by evil is interesting. Even though this child was murdered, she remained in a place where there was no impatience. I find myself realizing how much better life would be if this were the way here on earth. But we are all too busy, trying to get a million things done, multitasking while life passes us by. Just think...a place where there is no impatience. What a thought.

At one point I read a line about how feeling lost and being lost are two different things. This is something we all know, but find sometimes it hard to accept. Our feelings are so strong they get in the way of our lives in ways we don't even realize until it's too late. Like in the place of faith, we have a thirst to understand everything. We always look for something tangible. This is our problem. But in this visual world...it's hard to get around this.

The topic of church is also discussed. How it may not for everybody. While I do believe that some form of spiritual growth is a must, I dislike church in many ways. This book talks about how we have turned church into a religious pattern and forgotten about what it should mean; what it's purpose is. And if you are there for the wrong reasons, no points are earned. You need to want to be there. Personally, I don't believe a Christian has to go to church to be considered a Christian. But they do need some form of spiritual growth to be in the equation. I have met plenty of people that go to church every Sunday, say they're Christians and then turn around and cheat on their spouse, use illegal drugs or abuse alcohol. No, we are not perfect, but I wonder how people can shun others that don't go to church when they themselves are living a lie. Church is not a miracle pill.

It closes the story well enough. But still leaves you feeling like there was something more that should have been in the final pages.

Somewhere in this mess, I became a book worm

2009-11-10T23:24:00.004-06:00

I remember hating my English classes in junior high with a passion. When there was an assignment to read a book, I was the kid that watched the movie. If there wasn't a movie to be found...I would skip every couple pages and get my information from peers that actually read the whole book.

Somewhere over the past two years, I have developed a love for reading. I suspect the main reason why is the awkward co-worker lunch. I have really come to hate eating with the people I work with. This is probably due to the fact that they are all double my age, irritate me daily with their inability to operate anything technology has produced and some have the worst manners I have ever seen. I wont go into detail, but let's just say, I now understand what people mean by the saying "were you born in a barn?". They get to me, all friggin day. So naturally, I want to spend as little time as possible with them. I started reading in the park, over my lunch hour. As my imagination builds a picture in my mind, frustrations from work just melt away and I am immersed in the characters and their story.

While reading "Only Nuns Change Overnight by Karen Linamen", I found that some things were so interesting that I'd share them with people. Except, not knowing the rest of the book, said people weren't interested. So I started a book group. Yikes! I felt awkward about starting it. Wondering if people would think I was weird. Well, I am weird to begin with, so really, that doesn't bother me. But starting a book group just doesn't sound like me.

The first day this book group met, was great! We all had fun talking, sharing our opinions and listening to others. After it was over, I realized that I didn't want to start this group just to read somthing with them, I used it as an excuse to socialize and spark some deep conversations with people I trust and respect. So far so good. We are reading The Shack, by William Young. It's interesting...to say the least. There are times when I love it, and times when I'm not so fond of it's message. But it's a very descriptive book. As I read through it's pages, I daydream the scenes, making it seem more real. It reminds me of when I was little. I'd get ready for bed, and be so excited to drift off to sleep, because once I was asleep, my mind wandered. Bringing pieces of the day together, in strange ways sometimes, in color and so much detail. I guess reading and pictureing the scenes from a book is my dreamworld, in adult form.

10 Reasons why you need - therapy, to find a new job or rework your attitude

2009-02-04T14:53:00.012-06:00

1) As you make your way to work every day, you throw up in your mouth a little at the thought of seeing your co-workers when you get there.

2) You close your door as soon as you enter your office to shield yourself from any contact with the co-workers that irritate the shit out of you.

3) A brisk walk (even in -50 weather) is needed in order to cool yourself off from the annoyances of your work day. But it doesn't work. You get home and ramble, hardly taking a breathe in between sentences...and your husband proceeds to take refuge in his office until you've calmed the fuck down

4) Co-workers become the butt of all your jokes

5) You don't answer the phone right away. You let people wait on hold for a minimum of 2 minutes because you dread speaking with them

6) You swear under your breath on days where your short fuse is even shorter

7) When you get a whiff of a co-workers body smell, you wish you could vomit on them, because you feel that you could handle that smell better

8) You dream that the object of annoyance has died or had an accident, and permanently replaced by someone who knows how to do their job

9)While helping a co-worker with a computer issue, you envision slapping them in the back of the head

10) Most of your blog posts are about how annoyed you are at your co-workers

You Should'nt Smell Like That!

2009-01-16T09:20:00.008-06:00

I don't know about you, but I absolutely hate bad smells. I could be in the greatest of moods, suddenly smell something horrible and I'm instantly angry or irritated. Here's a few examples for you to enjoy.

Smoked Meat
This scent is ok when it's coming from actual smoked meat. But when a co-worker walks by and the smell wafts into my non-ventilated office, it disgusts me. I don't even want to know why they're emitting such an odor.

Ink
Oh yeah, ink. In large quantities this smells like diarrhea. It's especially nasty on a Monday morning. This is one of the reasons that I don't like to eat breakfast.

Fish
I will spare you the details of this one. You know what I'm talking about. And if you don't, I envy you.

Vicks Vapor Rub
This makes me want to gag. I know it helps when you're ill, but you'll never catch me trying it.

Flowers
Oh I know what you're thinking, "what's wrong with the nice sweet smell of flowers?" Well, a light spray is easy to handle, but I swear, some older women have lost their sense of smell. The zing of their perfume in my nasal passage. is similar to snorting pop up your nose.

B-O
This is the worst when you're traveling on a city bus in the winter. The person walks on and the gag reflex kicks in. You can't open the window because this city is so freakin cold...and you're stuck. Stuck smelling the dirty air from some soap deprived body. Who knows what kind of nasty germs you're breathing in.

I'll add more to the list as I think of them

Hamiton to Winnipeg...45 hour journey

2009-01-07T09:29:00.014-06:00

On Dec. 20, 2008 I boarded a plane to Hamilton. I was excited to see my family and semi-excited for the road trip back home. I love to drive and I especially love road trips. But this one would prove to be like no other I had ever been on.

The plan was that I would fly out to Hamilton, stay a day and then drive back with my dad on Dec. 21, but that last part didn't happen. I was happy in a way, because it granted me more time with family. But when Tuesday, Dec. 23 crept up, and dad's truck was in the shop, I got nervous. I wanted to be home for Christmas. Around 6pm, Aunt Lisa drove me to meet up with dad at the garage. I said my goodbyes, then dad and I went to load up the truck.

His stuff was stored at 3 different places, so it took a while to pack everything into our vehicle. By 10pm we left Hamilton. Driving was good for a few hours, until we had to pull into a truck stop after our vehicle started chugging. The smell of gas was overwhelming. I looked under the truck and saw gas pouring out from the tanks. I wasn't surprised that we had broken down and I figured we'd be there for a while. After a couple hours of trying to figure out a solution, we decided that we'd call a tow truck and a mechanic shop in the morning. Sleeping in a hotel was an option, but paying $100 for 3 hours of sleep didn't make sense to me. So we slept in the truck. It wasn't cold outside and we had blankets, so we were comfortable enough.

Christmas Eve day, we awoke. As we waited for the tow truck, dad phoned 4 or 5 people to ask them to put money in his bank account, so he could pay for repairs. I watched as he used a tiny flashlight to read out the numbers. They must like him, because he ended up with $350. The tow truck arrived at 8am, towed us for 2 minutes and dropped us off at a Ford garage in Barrie, ON. We decided to shop while we waited.

At 1pm we started to walk back to the garage. On our way, we walked by a very cheery lady who gave dad two loaves of bread. I don't know what prompted her to do this, I suspect it had something to do with dad's hobo hair. Maybe he looked hungry. Then, we arrived at the garage and they told us that the people who last "fixed" the gas tank issue, had broken a couple pieces that were slowly destroyed even more as we drove. He had fixed the problem and assured us that we were good to go. So we started driving, again...with the hope that we'd make it the whole way this time.

Now, when you drive from Hamilton to Winnipeg on the Northern route, there is a long stretch of road between Longlac and Nipagon that is curvy, and a long long way without any signs of life. We drove through the blizardy conditions with caution. I was worried about falling asleep at the wheel, so I told myself that if I ever thought "I will just close my eyes for a second" that this was the point where I would not drive anymore. That moment didn't come, but I did, for the first time in my life, start to hallucinate. I was shocked and freaked out, so I told dad that I wasn't able to drive anymore. So he took over and after 30 minutes he couldn't go any farther either. After an hours sleep we continued on our way.

After about 20 minutes, the lights started to dim, then a loud screeching sound was heard as they brightened up again. This happened over and over again. We were very worried that it was the alternator. So we stopped, rummaged for a piece of cardboard to protect the rad, tightened some bolt, greased up a belt and continued driving. Things seemed fine again, for 30 minutes. Then, the fan made grinding noises and after a short while, it stopped working.

So here we were, in the wee hours of Christmas day, on the bad stretch of road, with no heat...using debit cards to scrape the frost off the windows, trying to keep ourselves warm with pillows lining the doors and blankets wrapped around us. At one point we stopped and bought a small heater which we propped up on the dashboard with a loaf of bread and it defrosted the window enough so we could see where we were going.

In Nipagon, I couldn't feel my feet. It was so hard to walk on them and the place we stopped at was closed. But thankfully the older couple there let us warm up after they noticed the frost covered windows. For the rest of the trip, we would stop at every place possible, face the truck to the sun so the frost would melt off, and leave it running while we used the hand dryers in bathrooms to warm up our shoes, socks and feet.

By 6pm Christmas day, we were home. I realized in a hot, hot shower that I had some sort of frost bite on my driving foot. My family arrived an hour after I got home, we exchanged gifts, I told them my story and we talked a bit. Missing 2 nights of sleep, I was not myself but I was happy to see them.

When I think about this trip, I realize how strong I am and how well I can handle myself in a bad situation. I was never so scared that I cried or was out of control with worry. At times I was a little concerned, but overall, I was very calm. I know now that I have something in common with my dad. We hide our concerns in order to be strong for family. And when faced with a tough situation, we try to figure out a solution before calling for help. If I could go back and change the trip, there's only one thing I would alter. I would have bought boots in Barrie.

The Boulevard Couch

2008-11-28T08:45:00.006-06:00

Once upon a time my 3 siblings, my father and I, were walking to a football game. We spotted a couch on the boulevard and as we walked passed it, I started thinking about how crappy my mother's old couch was. She had the 15 year old couch stuffed with pillows and blankets so people wouldn't sink in every time they sat on it. But this couch looked like it was in pretty good shape. I ran back to it and lifted the cushions to see if there was any damage. I also tipped it forward to see if the bottom was crappy, but it was fine. So we walked to the stadium and watched the game (the Bombers lost).

With 9 beers in his system, my dad was quite loud, giggly and definitely not walking straight. As I tried to make sure he didn't drop his camera again, I was also trying to convince Chad to help me carry the couch to mom's. It would be a city block, but I knew it was in better shape than hers, and I knew she wasn't home. It was the perfect window of opportunity. Reluctantly, he agreed to help.

Once we got it to mom's, Lori and I decided that we'd put the old couch in her porch so that once she found out that we got this other one off the boulevard, we could just switch it back if she was angry. But as soon as we moved it, everything fell a part. Springs, foam, pillows and blankets went everywhere. So we decided that it was garbage. We placed the boulevard couch in her living room and left.

At home, I tried to think about lies I could tell her so she wouldn't find out it was from the boulevard, but I decided just to tell her the truth. The next morning she called me and asked if the furniture fairy had brought her a couch the night before. I told her the story and she seemed fine with it.

It has been in her living room for just over a year now. She recently bought a new set of couches and we need to get rid of the sacred boulevard couch now. She didn't want to sell it. But I refused to listen to her. Within a few hours of putting it on "Used Winnipeg", I got a call. $60 for a couch we got for free! We plan to use the money to replace the baseboards that the contractors (Handy Hands) screwed up.

NOTE: Handy Hands does NOT know what they're doing! They are a business run by a dad and his son who clearly don't communicate well. Don't EVER employ them to renovate your home. They did a half ass job on my mom's place. The only thing they did right was the siding, fascia and soffeting. They got a cross-eyed guy to paint, the paint was full of hot patches (blotches), used 4 different types of baseboards, and covered their crappy drywall cuts with more baseboards.

Life - The Weekday Routine

2008-11-13T13:50:00.013-06:00

The traffic buzzes by the window as I pep talk myself out of bed. This morning was extra difficult because somehow I managed to find the one comfy, spring free spot on our mattress during the night.

I roll out of the coziness to wash the sleep off my face and brush the grime off of my teeth. I generally brush before I eat breakfast because first thing in the morning, I have the worst breath in the world. Death breath is what I like to call it.

I rummage through my clean clothes to find that everything is wrinkled. But I don't particularly care, since I'm just going to work. My co-workers wont notice, they're too busy trying to figure out how to wrap their heads around basic computer skills.

I walk to work in my MP3 music bubble knowing once I step foot into the office, I will likely be bombarded with unwanted conversation, sad unfunny jokes and awkward smells.
Still in the bubble, I walk in the door and chuckle inside at my co-workers. They still don't understand that headphones disable a persons ability to hear anything but what's coming through the electronic device in their pocket.

As I begin to work on five jobs at once, the printer/maintenance guy approaches my office. He's nice but the combination of being over 60 and Mennonite means that he is not funny and he loves to tell the same jokes over and over. He also has some of the worst manners I've ever seen. Once, in mid sentence he picked his psoriasis, looked at it and ate it. He also has no understanding of personal space. He tells me about something work related and then drags on the conversation. It is at this point that I continue to work and he gets noticeably irritated. I continue to type and revel in his annoyance of me, thinking about how "it's about time" that I annoy him for the countless times he has done so to me.

He finally leaves and then the secretary acts as though the world is going to end. A window has popped up on her computer asking her if she wants to install updates. She proceeds to frantically ask me what to do, reading off every word and number in the window. I tell her what to do (usually more than once) and then change my Facebook status to reflect the level of irritated that I am at. She continues to have these stroke outs a few more times during the day and towards the end, I just tell her I don't know. What I really want to say is "if you don't know how to use your computer, maybe you should get a different job. I don't have time to deal with your crap 5 times a day." And teaching her or the other guy does nothing. They just ask me the same things the next day, and the next day and the next day.

As lunch time rolls around I decide if I'm eating out or not, in order to avoid having to lose my appetite from watching the scab eater scarf down his lunch like there's no tomorrow. Once it's 4:30 I am dying to dive into my music bubble once again, to change over to the "real me" that was suppressed all day so I didn't lash out at incompetence or repetitiveness.

After 20 minutes of bubble time I am home. I hug my man and start dinner so I can satisfy the appetite of my favorite person of the day, Jeremy. We eat and chat a bit about our days, ignore a few telemarketing calls and sit down for some evening relaxation. I pull out the DDR mats to fill my exercise craving and then get ready for bed. I then drift off to dreamland to the sound of a Friends episode, hoping that I wont wake up countless times from overly imaginative dreams.

Unwanted Conversation

2008-10-09T08:20:00.009-06:00

In regular every day living we all encounter people. On the bus, at work, at the mall...etc. This is fine. Sometimes we say a simple hello to acknowledge someone and sometimes we have a conversation. This is also fine, as long as both people are on the same page.

For instance: when you walk by someone on your way to work. You know that if you say a simple greeting, the conversation will start and end there. So a simple "hello" is sufficient. But, when you walk into the workplace and say hello, it sometimes develops into an unwanted conversation. You say "hello" or "good morning" and then the other person begins a long drawn out conversation on something that has nothing to do with either word. I come to work, not to listen to someone talk about useless and/or unwanted information. So while the other person goes off on their tangent, I am thinking about how boring they are and hoping my face shows how annoyed I am.

On top of the boring conversation, some people add a horrid smell as they wave their arms and mix their ill smelling odor with the air you are about the breathe in. I start to hold my breath, or cover half my face with my hand. I figure that might help block some of the stench from entering my nose.

So, unwanted conversation and body stench. I think these are two of the things that irritate me most. I am at a loss because I experience both of these 5 days a week. This is clearly my reason for looking forward to weekends.

How does one avoid these things? You don't. There is no way that you can. Unless you are rude. There are two stages of rude.
Stage 1: Internal Rudeness. This is the first step to becoming rude and learning how to internalize anger. You think rude thoughts, and wish you could just blurt them out, but don't, because your parents taught you to be a nice person (highly over-rated).
Stage 2: External Rudeness: This is the second and final step to venting the anger you internalized in stage 1. You come to your breaking point and just speak your mind. This graduates from wording things nicely to being a complete ass. This stage lasts a lot longer than stage 1 for some people. But this is the stage where you accept or reject being rude as a normal part of your every day life. I accept reluctantly. I guess there's still a part me of ( a very small part), that doesn't welcome the frustration.

I am just entering Stage 2, and I think this is the rudest I have ever been. Maybe it's my age. I've come to the point where I just don't care anymore...and I don't want to. People have been irritating me my whole life. And now it's time for payback! I'm an adult, and don't take kindly to people who speak to me as if I were still in kindergarten, people who have horrible manners (eating psoriasis, picking ears with toothpicks, eating like a horse, picking their nose and then reaching to shake my hand...there are so many, I can't possibly list them all), and especially those who just keep talking as if they love the sound of their own voice and assume that you do as well.

This concludes my rant. Enjoy the rest of your people filled day and try to eek out some rudeness...you might like it. =P

Great Aunt Susan We'll Miss You

2008-09-17T10:13:00.027-06:00

Some of my best childhood memories were from the days we spent at Great Aunt Susan and Uncle Andy's place in Lac du Bonnet. That's where I got to know Aunt Susu. But that was a long time ago, and she didn't really know who I grew up to be, until this July.

I spent some time taking her (In the photo on the left with my Grandpa Fred) to appointments in Hamilton General Hospital this summer. We talked, laughed a lot, she told me some family stories and I updated her on my mom and siblings. From talking with her and the doctors, I learned that she went through a few pacemakers over the years (one damaged a heart valve), she was on 17 medications and she liked to go fast in her wheelchair. She just wanted to get better. There were many times in that one day where she would slam her arms down because she was annoyed that she had to wait so long. She was fed up with being sick and spending all this time in the hospital.

I had a chance to speak to her a couple days before she passed. Although she couldn't speak, the doctors said she could still hear. So I said a few words to her. Hearing her struggle to breathe was very difficult. She hadn't eaten or drank anything in days and she wasn't responding to anything but her heart was still going strong. When my dad came home from visiting Winnipeg, she responded to him and others with a mumble.

At one point during her appointments I had to wheel her into a doctor's office that had wall to wall furniture. I bumped her chair into a weigh scale and she said to me "I hope you don't drive a car like you drive a wheelchair!" I choose to remember her the way she was. She was funny, sweet and such a blessing to many people.

I see the body as a house the essence of each person lives in. Once the person has breathed their last breath, the house no longer contains any part of them. An empty shell is left behind while the spirit and soul go on to better things. What's beyond life, I can't be sure. But I know as well as you do that our time here on earth is temporary. So we should make the best of it while we're here.

Tell people that you love and appreciate them constantly and never take life for granted. It's the only one you have.

Stink-ity Stank - Good Hygene Is A Must!

2008-09-15T11:40:00.007-06:00

Some people wear deodorant or antiperspirant and some choose not to. I don't know what's worse. Using it or not using it!

What's more bearable, used deodorant sweat stank or body odor?

Sometimes I mention the issue, but that depends on the relationship I have with the person. I have no problem telling a sibling or a cousin that they need to shower. Nor do I have any issues telling my close friends that they have toilet paper stuck in the back of their pants. Or mentioning a zipper that needs to be zipped, a shirt that looks bad, a stain, a rogue booger in the nose or eye or offering a piece of gum and responding with a sarcastic "not at all" when they ask if their breath smells.

I really dislike being around smelly people. It's unpleasant. So before you leave the house today be sure to apply deodorant and brush your teeth. Or, don't talk to me. I'm not going to hear a word you're saying while I hold my breath until you're clear of my personal space bubble and I can cover up the stank that you've left behind with scented oils.

It's Cold, It's Milky, It's Drippy

2008-08-27T12:25:00.008-06:00

Sometimes I go for a chocolate bar, a bag of chips, chocolates, sour soothers, cookies...but very rarely do I decide to buy an ice cream. I hate when I'm out with friends, and everyone wants to go get ice cream. They all giggle and say "yay, ice cream" like they're 5 again. I just don't get some people's obsession with this dessert food. Here's what I hate about it:

IT'S COLD!
Very cold! I hate that feeling you get when you bite into an ice cold mound. Why would you want to temporarily freeze your teeth? How is that good? I can see how it would be refreshing I guess, in the summer time. But it's still last on my list. I'd rather have iced tea, or a cold beer. At least that warms up to a comfortable temperature once it's hit your mouth.

IT'S MILKY
If I am going to have milk...I'll have milk. Not some whipped, frozen version of it. When I have a peanut butter sandwich, I want milk, when I have a creamy chocolate bar, I want milk. Not ice cream. Milk is supposed to be healthy isn't it? If I want something sweet...I want it to be unhealthy. That's just the way it is.

IT'S DRIPPY
I absolutely hate eating anything that make a mess of me. Like wings, ribs...well any food that has sauce on it that is likely to drip. Ask yourself, what's gonna catch those drips??? Yeah, bang on! Boobs! Every time. They just get in the way, then, everyone looks at you like you're a pig. Hello???!!! It's not my fault. It's the boobies. They just stick out too freakin far!

Anywhoser...I don't like ice cream. So, please, just remember that. I don't like it. So if you are looking for someone to go to the BDI with...call somebody else. I'm not interested. I will however go for Gelate. It comes in a bowl and you eat it with a spoon.

Only Time Will Tell

2008-08-13T07:58:00.007-06:00

Just some thoughts on the present situation: I have learned over the last 3 years, that working for a non-profit organization has it's good and bad points. You could say the same about any other job I suppose. But here, people expect you to be a "good Christian" about things, smile and take it. No objections. And when there is an objection, most often, they are a little surprised. You see, they don't want to hire more people. That's more money out the door every month. That alone is frustrating, because things don't get done properly or to the best they can be when you have someone new every year, learning how to do things for the first time. Things get lost in the mix that way.

This isn't something that's going to change anytime soon. I wish this place ran a bit more like a business. It makes sense to me. There's always someone that knows exactly what's happening with every aspect of the work place. Plus, it's just more proffessional, more organized. Non-profit organization doesn't have to mean, non-profit...so no organization. And yeah, if some of the people I work with see this...they'll be frustrated with what I've noted here. But they are also free to have their own opinions.

While it's nice to work for a good cause...I don't think it'll be what I do for the rest of my life. I'm hoping things will change. Only time will tell.

Best Email Joke EVER!

2008-07-30T10:23:00.006-06:00

You gotta love it when someone asks you a stupid question. People do it to make conversation I suppose, not realizing how dumb they've just made themselves look.

Yesterday I was buying a large bag of Purina dog chow for my dog at Wal-Mart and was about to check out.

A woman behind me asked if I had a dog. What did she think I had,an elephant? Since I'm retired, with little to do, on impulse I told her no, I didn't have a dog, and that I was starting the Purina Diet again. Although I probably shouldn't, because I'd ended up in the hospital last time, but that I'd lost 50 pounds before I awakened in the intensive care ward with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IVs in both arms.

I told her it was essentially a perfect diet and the way it works is to load your pants pockets with Purina nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry - the food is nutritionally complete - so I was going to try it again. (I have to mention here that practically everyone in the line was by now enthralled with my story.)

Horrified, she asked if I ended up in intensive care because the dog food poisoned me. I told her no; I stepped off a curb to sniff an Irish Setter's ass and a car hit us both.

I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack, he was laughing so hard!

WAL-MART won't let me shop there anymore

My Rude-aholic Self

2008-07-28T14:15:00.009-06:00

Yeah...I have diagnosed myself. Rude-aholic. Most people who know me, know that I do enjoy a few rude comments here and there.

An inner struggle breaks out in my head at times. No, I'm not hearing voices! Basically, if someone is talking to me, and I really don't feel like listening or they're not making any sense, I say things in my head, hoping that person will understand and leave me alone. It never works. Which is disappointing. But I guess on some level I am learning to be patient.

Don't worry, those of you who read this blog are not in this annoying category...most of the time. Ha ha. No seriously.

Some days I just wish I could be outwardly rude. Like tell the person babbling "I don't care." Or "Give me your phone number so we can pretend that I will call you so you can tell me more about this useless crap with your annoying voice and irritating habits."

I can't be the only one on this planet that feels like this! Maybe this is just one of those subjects that people keep to themselves. You know...something people bottle up. While I do occasionally do some bottling of things, I am not a fan of the outcome, which is an explosion of rudeness in it's purest form. I think it's good to just get it out before you get to that lethal stage. Where all you can think about is shaking the person or giving them a good karate chop to the neck.

My problem is that I can't just let it out with people I see all the time. It just wont work. It will make things awkward and anger me more because said people will try to resolve the situation. But the thing they're not taking into consideration is...their whole being is annoying and/or nauseating and that's too difficult to even bother with! Plus, I think I like to be angry sometimes. Like while I'm cleaning, I always clean my apartment much better when I am enraged.

Yeah I know...this is all crap and I should kick myself in the ass for sharing it. You win some you lose some. This is me, but you knew this...you just never knew how deep the rude-aholic disease went. Feel free to stop talking to me out of fear that my brain will use your conversation as an excuse to use telepathic messages to hint that you should leave me alone.

...end of babble

Who would buy these??

2008-07-25T07:48:00.003-06:00

Ok, so Sam and I go shopping the other day and as we walk through the mall to get back to the car we saw these. We felt they were stupid enough to deserve a picture. Seriously...why are stores selling things like this?? Who would buy them? Can you imagine the tan lines you'd get from wearing these? Every year people come up with idiotic things like this...you gotta wonder what their mental state is. You'd have to be nuts to spend money on these!

The house I grew up in...

2008-07-23T10:06:00.006-06:00

Through the years my Mom's house has become more and more run down. I have plenty of stories about mice, squirrels, mold and more. Don't read the following stories if you have a weak stomach.

Story #1 - Go Nuts For M&M's
I remember a while back when I was about 20. My room was in the basement, so I could hear when the mice were running around upstairs. For a few nights, there was a little more action than normal but I thought nothing of it. I started to noticed pieces of chocolate all around the couch.When I pulled back the cushion I was in shock. There was A LOT of mouse poop! I was so grossed out. It also looked like the mice had played inside the cushions because they were all chewed up in the corners. Lori had left a bag of peanut M&M's on the couch and they had ravaged through it. So I vacuumed it up...it was like vacuuming up a bunch of paper clips. I made a point of telling Lori it was her fault. What are big sisters for?!!

Story #2 - The Cover Up
I was 18, and I had just come home from school for lunch. I decided to relax in front of the tv. Half an hour passes and I start hearing this slapping noise. Like an elastic band hitting the floor. After a few minutes of it, I realized it was coming from the kitchen. So I check it out. MOUSE!!! At this point my body overheats from disgust. When mice eat the poison, they dry up from the inside. It was paralyzed on one side and jumping a little every few seconds. As it did this, it left a trail of blood on the floor and wall. When it stopped jumping, I put a plastic bag on the end of a bent coat hanger and covered it.. It was a nice surprise for my mom to come home to.

Hmmm...I'm thinking this is enough for you to handle for now.

Now to get to my point. Mom made the decision to renovate the house late last year. And it's coming along nicely. Although, the guys doing the renovations aren't the most proffessional...the work they contracted out looks great! The outside of the house is awesome! Siding, roofing, eaves troughs....inside she has new cupboards in the kitchen, a new bathroom, carpeting (It's strange that all that red shag is gone), laminated flooring, a new front door (hence the peephole pic)...Check it out...

Hamilton 2008

2008-07-20T18:56:00.011-06:00

I was in Ontario for three weeks. During that time I roller-balded down the beach strip (a paved pathway along Lake Ontario), stained part of a deck, shopped at IKEA and more, picked strawberries, visited a lot of family, went to the drive-in, made good use of a pool and a trampoline, went to two wedding receptions, peeled wallpaper, weeded a garden, went to Canada's Wonderland...I'm sure there's some stuff I've missed.

This is apparently a birth certificate for one of my distant relatives: Way back in the Bahm line, the name was spelled Bohm and Boehm...with two dots over the o. I'm guessing the spelling was changed when they arrived in NewBrunswick.

I think my favorite memory would be roller-blading along the beach strip for three hours eating wild blackberries along the way. We had blue teeth, lips and hands. I realized later, that my feet were also blue. They're very ticklish. so it was difficult to clean off.

Here's a few pics to highlight the fun times

A great gift idea

2008-05-29T13:26:00.005-06:00

Looking for the perfect gift is difficult sometimes. Especially if you're low on cash. I ran into that problem recently. My cousin Mike was turning 11 and I didn't want to get him a crappy gift that he wouldn't use. Everything he wanted seemed to be out of my price range too, so I browsed a department store for ideas.

In the stationary section I came across this design your own t-shirt packet. Basically, if you have a color printer, you're set. I can draw and come out with pretty good results, so I decided to draw (on my computer) something he'd like and use them to iron it onto a t-shirt. He really likes Family Guy, so I made him a shirt with Stewie on it. I was so happy to see that he enjoyed it!

I have made quite a few t-shirts for people since then. But now I've gotten to the point where I'd like to make my own designs. The t-shirts I made before were great. But I'd like to design my own characters (instead of using popular cartoon characters). The photo above is my first stab at it...it's designed for my friend Christine who is crazy about frogs.

Camping - Big Whiteshell Lake

2008-05-21T10:12:00.016-06:00

It took us 2 1/5 hours to get there. It would have been a little nicer to look at if the trees were in bloom, but it was still good to get away from everyday city life!

The four of us (Joelle, Lori, Shawna and I) were prepared for most things. Except eating. We forgot our paper plates, so we cooked our meals in tin foil and basically ate out of that. Man was it good! Roasted veggies, mushrooms, hamburgers, smokies, soft tacos...and junk food of course. I couldn't find my matches before I left, so we were stuck using a lighter.

Our neighbors on the first night sounded extra "special". Even though there was a Provincial Park ban on alcohol all May long weekend, they had obviously brought some anyways. But it was funny listening to their conversations. They really had a lot of nothing to say. One of them even went swimming. I was surprised! I had stuck my feet in the water and it was like ice! There was no way we would have gone in at all. But when you combine "special" and beer, I guess that's normal.

Last time I went camping (last Aug.) the tent we borrowed was hard to put up and reeked like cow poop and pot. So I eliminated that this time by buying my own. It has a mesh part on the top, which is good for air circulation but also let in a bit of the cold air. Poor Shawna borrowed a sleeping bag from her dad that didn't zip up. So the second night, she used the emergency blanket with the sleeping bag. We just have to remember to bring slippers next time.

To occupy ourselves, we ate a lot of great food, hiked a 40 minute trail, played tennis, watched a couple movies before bed, played cards...the usual camping activities. If the water wasn't so cold still, we could have rented a canoe. Just thinking about the canoe tipping us into that ice cold water was enough for us to decide against that.

How to avoid a Squeegee Kid

2008-05-12T12:36:00.006-06:00

Oh yeah, you know what I'm talking about. Those people that stand at busy corners, until the light turns red...then...they attack. Smearing their dirty water all over the windshields of unsuspecting drivers.

If they can stand on the street all day, smoking in their designer clothes and patting their dog complete with a diamond collar...they can go out and get a job and pay taxes just like the rest of us.

Why do people give them money? It's not like you're getting a service you've asked for!!! They run up to your car, smear the window and make it worse than before you washed all the bird crap off the day before. Then, to make matters worse, you feel sorry for them so you pop them a bit of change. Do you not see that this is wrong?? Do you know how much these people make in a day for coating the city's cars in stank water???

Here are a few tips on what to do if you spot one:
1. Roll down your window and say "no speak-a-da engrish".
2. Wave your hands frantically in the air while nodding your head "no" as they walk up.
3. Squirt them with a water gun as you drive by.
4. Rev your engine as they approach your vehicle.
5. Let them clean your window and give them a blank stare.
6. This one's my favorite and I've used it many times: If you spot them in time, stop and leave at least 3 car lengths of space between you and the car stopped in front of you. If they still approach, start backing up. They'll get the hint.

DO NOT give them money or say "I'm sorry, I don't have any change". You don't have to feel bad. Remind yourself that this person needs to learn to get a job and be responsible. Not that people will give you money if it looks like you're being productive. You all know there's a difference between being productive and looking productive!!

Helpful Hints: Missing Manners

2008-05-02T11:56:00.008-06:00

Germ Spreader: It seems like someone around me is always sick. Coughing, sneezing…the works. The other day I was on a bus, and this woman was sneezing like her organs wanted to jump out and coughing like she was going to give birth through her head. I tried to move away after the first time she sprayed me, but there was nowhere to go. The bus was jam packed! I daydreamed the rest of my ride that I had a can of Lysol and was dousing her with it. I guess her mother never taught her to cover her mouth.

Swishy Swishy: There's nothing like a sloppy eater that ruins the appetite. You know what I mean. Those lovely people that slop their food around in their mouth like mouth wash. Do they do this to ensure it's been chewed right and is as close to a liquid as possible? Liquid sandwich...YUCK!

Toothpick No-Nos: When normal people use toothpicks, they pick the tooth and that's it. They don't look at what they've just dislodged from between their chompers. They don't suck it back into their mouth. And they most certainly do not use it as an ear scratcher and then place it back in their mouth! I have recently seen this happen...I was disgusted and nauseated on so many levels.

Rethink That Pit Stick: Some people get comfortable with the same products. I know, I’ve done it. But when you have used the same deodorant since 1960, you need to let loose a little! When your sweat mixes with the gunk and you smell worse than you would if you wore none at all…take the hint. Yes it’s you who smells! Yes I burn scented oils when you stink up my surroundings and yes…I hold my breath to prevent from loosing my lunch in your direction.

There's just one more thing that is bugging me lately. It's not a helpful hint. It's more of a concern really. When you live in an apartment, you often notice the hallway smells to high heaven. It's a mixture of food, personal smells and who knows what else. Well, our hallway smells like adult diapers (there's something more toxic about an adult diaper smell than a baby diaper smell), kitty litter, bleach, musty wood, onion and grease. Why? Why do we have to smell this crap? There seems to be nothing you can do to stop it from eeking into your own apartment either! Do not accumulate used diapers, take out your garbage, use your windows to air out your apartment, clean your kitty litter and take a freakin shower!!!!

Ok, I'm done. If you have none of the issues stated above, have a great day. If you have one or more...please correct the problem for the benefit of others or stay at least fifty yards away from me at all times.

Live & Laugh

2008-04-28T10:35:00.006-06:00

What would happen if we were made without the ability to laugh? I think life would be very dull, and we'd all be very very stressed out. I find that when I laugh, it makes me feel lighter. Not that it's gonna be the new diet craze. Lighter meaning, whatever may have been pulling on my heart at the time has been lifted. Laughter doesn't erase your problems, but I like to think it helps you through them. Helping you cope, seeing the lighter side of the whole picture and working from the outside in (or from the inside out, whatever you prefer). If your body feels calm, then your thoughts will follow and become more rational and organized. At least that's the way I see it. I don't really have much more to say. Just a reminder to laugh as much as you can and treasure the people that make it possible.

Funny Little Story

2008-01-04T20:06:00.001-06:00

Jeremy bought a pair of jeans about a week ago. He keeps talking about going back to "Wally world" (for those of you who don't know...this is Winnipeg for Walmart) so I know he loves them.

He picked me up from work the other day and told me about how he took our Christmas tree down and began washing the tree stand in our tub. While he was washing it he noticed a few circular white spots on his knees that looked like bleach. He was so annoyed that he had just wrecked his new jeans and as he tried to figure out what it was, he remembered the tub number.

A couple days before, I decided to take a bath to relax before going back to work the next day. I brought a book to read, a hand held yahtzee game in case the book was boring and the phone...cuz I didn't want to miss a call.

After a couple rounds of yahtzee the phone rang. After I let the caller know that Jeremy wasn't home, there was a pause and then he began to tell me his number. I didn't have a pen, so my first thought was, "I could just tell Jeremy who called and he could look for the number", but then I got annoyed at my laziness and decided that I could remember it. So I hung up and then I began to doubt how good my memory was. I reached for the nearest writing tool I could think of. The shampoo. Yes yes, I know. Who writes with shampoo. So I wrote the number on the side of the tub so that I could write it down later. Well I forgot to make the tub to paper transfer, so when Jeremy got home I told him there was a number on the tub that he needed to call. But he didn't wash it off. Hence...the white bleachy stuff on his jeans. So the story ends on a good note.

The weird thing is: I hate baths, cuz if you think about it, you're sitting in your own watered down filth; I usually don't care about answering the phone, in fact, I screen my calls sometimes; and as this was my first time writing with shampoo...I think it went well.

Can't Be Bored...Must Do Something...

2007-11-08T14:22:00.000-06:00

I have always been a hands on kind of person. Even when I was little, I always had to be busy doing something. I have maintained my low attention span well into adulthood. Now, I find new ways to keep myself from being bored.

Scrapbooking wasn't something I had tried before. But I decided that I was going to make one for my sister Lori this year. It was for her birthday but it took me so long to complete it...that I gave it to her near MY birthday. Meaning...it was roughly 3 months late. It would have taken less time if I was a little less anal.

Well, one scrapbook was enough for me. I may pick that up again later on.

This year, I've really enjoyed baking. For Halloween, I made these cupcakes. The heads were little marshmallows.

But now that it's Christmas...it's cookie time. While most normal people are content with icing sugar cookies simply...I have to take the anal approach and decorate until my back is sore and I've gone cross eyed. Like this tree cookie for instance. I know, who takes a picture of a cookie? Anyways, I decorated about 30 like this one here. Sadly, this is my favorite part of Christmas. All this work for something that gets chewed up, digested and then dropped into a toilet bowl. It hardly seems worth it.

Maybe I should stick to scrapbooking.

Nasty Habits

2007-09-05T13:54:00.000-06:00

Ah yes. I have witnessed yet another nasty habit. I must be observant. I am aware that I have a couple nasty habits too, but scratching your ear with a toothpick and then placing it back in your mouth? Can you say conversation stopper?!!! That is far beyond any habit I have!

I find it funny that people have these weird habits and don't realize how gross they are, and more importantly, that they do them in front of people. But I guess we all do things without realizing.

When someone does something gross in front of you...
What do you do?
Option A: Continue talking so they don't realize you've noticed and at the same time think about how incredibly nasty the person is and try to figure out how to get away from them ASAP?
Option B: Or do you stop the conversation and confront them? Like " What did you just do?" OR "Could you not!"

I use option A and then write about it on my blog. That way, I can tell people about it and gross them out, so that they notice if it happens around them. Yuck! I don't even think that expression "You must have grown up on a farm" will cut it this time. Ear wax, really? Who eats that? Am I missing something? Is ear wax good for your teeth? Does it make the toothpick slimy and easier to clean your teeth? Or is it just that the person likes the taste of it?

Okay, here's the bottom line:
If it's on your body - IT DOESN'T GO IN YOUR MOUTH!!

Camping at Gull Harbour

2007-08-27T09:17:00.000-06:00

Check this photo out! To me...this is a perfect picture for relaxation. The water was so calm the day we got there. You can even see the rippled sand beneath the surface of the lake.

I was bummed about my summer and so was Sam. Between dealing with our own lives, family problems and work related frustrations, our stress levels were through the roof! We decided we'd go camping to get away from the norm for some relaxation time. Neither of us have really been anywhere in Manitoba but Gimli and Winnipeg, so we decided to go to Hecla Island. It's only 2 hours away, and is supposedly the place to go to relax. We left Friday after work and came home around 4 pm on Sunday. It was short, but I think it was just what we needed.

Sam's sister had told us that she had a tent we could borrow, so on our way, we stopped to pick it up. It was when she realized that someone had borrowed it and never given it back that anger began to set in. Sam and I were thinking "who says they'll lend you something and then doesn't have it?" We got over that when we found someone else that would lend us their tent. Two issues presented themselves once we began to set it up.

Issue#1 - No instructions. Neither one of us had put a tent up in so long and not having instructions tried our patience! We got annoyed at each other as we tried to understand the inner workings of it. We ended up tieing the back poles to a tree and the front up so that together, they would keep it from suffocating us at night. There was a third length of poles that didn't even make it to setup. We figured the tent was secure enough, and it was.
Issue#2 - It reeked! Not just any smell either. Pot and Cattle. Yes! It sounds strange. But I assure you, that IS what it smelt like. But it seemed to air out enough to be bearable to sleep in for two nights.

Hiking: The trails were great. Easy to walk through and were surrounded by beautiful scenery. We snapped tons of pictures! There are a few at the top of this page.
Marsh Boardwalk: The only "wildlife" we saw there was a couple of snails. My favorite part of it: The wind was very strong and all we could hear was the calming rush of the bulrushes in the wind. It was much different than the waves hitting the shore or the rustling of the trees.
Wildlife: We stood on a tower at sunset to see some moose but were unlucky. There are a lot of bald eagles on the island but we didn't get to catch a glimpse of them either. The only animal we saw was a fox as it trotted across the road.

We didn't do a whole lot while we were there. But I think that was the point. No tv, computer or cell phone made it easy to settle into relaxation. It's amazing what a couple days away from technology and the frustrations of every day life can do.

My recent trip to Atlanta

2007-08-07T12:33:00.000-06:00

It had been decided months ago that we would drive 8 hours to Minneapolis, stay the night in a hotel and then fly to Atlanta the next morning. The drive was interesting...meaning there was a little bickering and one incident of gas tank drainage resulting in a 45 minute wait for CAA. We were about 1 hour away from our hotel when the van began to loose speed. It was ok, most of us just kept our cool and decided to eat dinner while we waited.

On the drive, I found one thing quite weird and a little alarming. Any bodies of water we drove by in Minnesota were surrounded by dead trees. The water was so full of algae that it killed all trees in and around the water. Made me think twice before I drank their water.

Everyone else (Jer's parents, brother and Mike) had left on an earlier flight so Jer and I shopped a little at Mall of America. After an hour I was done though. I've never been too fond of shopping.

As we received our boarding passes...we realized that we were sitting on opposite ends of the plane. I was totally annoyed at first, but it was kinda nice to have some down time. When we arrived in Atlanta, we hopped onto a clean Marta train so I was happy. I thought that they had finally replaced the old smelly ones that I remember from the last time we were out there. But, I later found out that the smelly ones were still in use. They smelled so bad that I felt disgusted any time my skin happened to touch anything on the ride. It smelt like someone had urinated all over the carpet, daily, for years. Ew! Not my fondest memory.

The day after we arrived...it all started. The 3 hour sessions 3 times a day. The first day I was a complete grump because I was more worried about our money situation than pretending to be happy and excited about being there. The sessions were too long for me. I was very fidgety and my attention span just barely made it. Thanks to hand held Yahtzee and my ability to daydream. I did get some good things out of the sessions...but I was not "gung ho" like everyone else there was. So I felt very much like an outsider for the most part.

I do believe that Primerica sells good products and genuinely cares for the consumer; Something most companies don't consider. Some would argue against that, but this is what I have come to believe, through research, information from "Primericans" and also through observing how each agent talks about what they have done for their clients.

The highlight of my trip: Visiting with my "brother from another mother". This was the second time I met up with him. Him and his wife are great people. Nick was adopted by a family in Ontario when he was almost a year old. His official adoption date happened to be the day I was born. I wish they lived closer. I could see us getting along very well.

The day we began our treck home...I was so glad! This was where the "I want to sleep in my own bed" feeling set in. I get a little annoyed when I'm around tons of people for long periods of time too. I guess I like my own space.

All together, the trip was alright. I can't say that I'll do it again for sure. Atlanta is a great city when you put aside the bums and the stinky Marta train. The architecture is interesting and the people are very friendly, even the bums. If they ask you for money or food and you don't have any, instead of swearing at you (Manitoba bums are all about the swearing) they'd say "God bless". It was sad to see how many homeless people there are in the city. So many would crowd around the church to sleep at night.

If I visit again, I'd like to see the Coke Museum and the Aquarium. I did get to go to IKEA though. So that made up for everything.

Just Thinking

2007-07-16T12:40:00.000-06:00

The following sentence was at the bottom of a recent email that I received, and it made me think about things.

When you're down to nothing...God is up to something.

For people who are believers in God...this sentence makes perfect sense. Being a "believer" requires you to "give yourself" to God. Meaning, you live a good life in the eyes of Jesus, living by His example. Telling others about the eternal life that He offers at the end of our stay here on earth. This sentence is just so...I don't even know how to describe why it's got my attention. I guess when you are down to nothing...it's true, God is up to something. Attempting to give you a wake up call of sorts. But so many people just give up at a certain point because they don't feel that they have the strength to carry on. To strive to achieve what they desire. And in giving up, sometimes they blind themselves to what is right in front of them. Although life can be rough, it also has it's bright moments. Family, friends, laughter and life...the list does go on if you choose to see it. Even if you are not a "believer", you are here for a purpose just like the rest of us. You may not know what it is, and you may never point your finger on it, but why not make the best of your life?! You only get one. Why waste it letting the rough times drive you through each passing year?

If you feel that you are down to nothing...maybe it's time to evaluate your surroundings. Make a list of what you want for yourself in the next few months and years. You have the strength in you if you choose to see it.

What The Facebook?

2007-06-08T08:11:00.000-06:00

For the longest time I was getting an email or two a day, saying that "so and so have added you to their friends list on Facebook." I just kept deleting them cause I figured, it was just another internet/email/blog thingy that I didn't need. I was partially correct. I finally checked it out and now I am freakin addicted. I check it daily before work, at lunch, after work and before I go to bed. That's completely retarded but I can't stop!!! I love that I have been able to find people that I haven't seen in a while (from elementary school, high school, old friends, youth girls, youth leaders I had...) It's crazy!! But it is so addictive. Why? I guess it's because it's a fast, free and easy way to keep in touch. It's not just me, one of my friends (You know who you are) has added an extra feature that phones her cell every time someone leaves her a Facebook note. I've been on it so much, that when I'm at work, typing something out...I want to spell like I do online. Ppl=people; U=you; R=are; enuf=enough...the list goes on. Help me!! No! Don't help me...then I'll lose my new best friend...Facebook! My family is even starting to get annoyed that I talk about it all the time.

Reasons Why I'm Crazy

2007-05-25T13:02:00.000-06:00

People tell me I'm crazy, fun, out there, abnormal, unique...etc. I admit, I am all of these things. Although, I've met far too many crazy people so crazy has to be normal, therefore I can't be classified as abnormal because it's normal to be crazy nowadays. I probably just confused you, but hey, that's me. Confuse or be confused. Now I'm just rambling. Anyways...here's a list of 6 things that drive me bonkers!!!! If you're eating, read this later.

6) Shopping Amongst Sloths: Just as people behind the wheel have road rage, I have mall rage. I need to keep moving. Not at sloth speed, but at a comfortable "I'm gonna get things accomplished" speed.
5) Southern Nail Biters: Okay, biting your fingernails is slightly normal, but when there's no clippers in sight and you feel the need to use your teeth to pick your toes (yes, your toes, people actually do this)...DON'T! Someone seeing you do this completely destroys your ability to make and keep friends, cause they wont forget it! No more hand shaking...no more eating out with people...no more hugging...just awkwardness.
4) Public Feet Fondlers: When you're visiting someone, don't pick your feet and then ask if they need help preparing dinner or making something to drink...They're gonna say NO. No one wants toe jam sandwiches or toe skin tea. Eew!
3) Bad Aim: Yes this ones for the guys. When you use someone else's washroom, AIM! I actually remove the mat in my bathroom when certain people visit to avoid a stank wanked - soggy mat. There's nothing worse than getting your socks soaked with someone else's piss.
2) Repeat Conversation: We've all been in situations where someone's told us a story more than once, but what really gets me fuming mad, is when someone talks to me and says the same thing over and over in different sentences. It's like they think you're back in Kindergarten and you couldn't possibly "get it" if you're only told once. When someone does this to me, I don't even listen after a while. I'm just thinking "I would really love to taser or cattle prod you right now!" Maybe a cattle prod would be best, that way I wont have to be so close to the burning flesh smell.
1) Scab Eaters: This is by far the grossest thing I've ever witnessed. If you've got skin problems fine, but don't eat it! For goodness sakes people, that is so wrong it leaves me nauseous and speechless! It's just utterly GROSS!

Anyone that has to deal with any one of these things on a regular basis will come off as crazy. See?! There's a reason why I turned out this way. Being crazy and seeing people laugh or look at me funny makes me forget the things that drove me nuts all week.

Disadvantaged People's Day?

2007-05-24T14:19:00.000-06:00

This was emailed to me and I couldn't stop laughing! I know I'm nuts but come on! Who sends this stuff out? Well, I guess I shouldn't ask that cause I forwarded it to a bunch of people after I received it.

Today is International Disadvantaged People's Day.
Please send an encouraging message to a retarded friend...
I don't care if you lick windows, take the special bus
or occasionally shit yourself...You hang in there sunshine, you're friggin' special.

Ha ha, "take the special bus"...it cracks me up every time!

A Wedding In April

2007-05-16T16:21:00.000-06:00

Len and Mandy married on April 21 this year. They seem to suit each other perfectly. The wedding was at Calvary Temple, my Aunty Anne made their cake, Alison's daughter was their flower girl...and there's probably a lot more info I could tell you. Mandy's mom passed away a few years back and the day they got married was her mom's birthday, so we had a moment of silence for her. It was different but I thought it was nice to remember her as they got married.

Being there and seeing how happy they were to be married made me think a little about things. Although marriage can be frustrating at times, it is comforting to know that someone genuinely cares for you. It's hard work sometimes but anything worth having will test you. So many divorces take place because people don't want to make the effort. But the effort is what makes it worth while.

Let The White Be Gone!

2007-05-10T10:50:00.000-06:00

It is so hot out it's crazy! In the summer, my co-workers and I go outside to eat on our "patio". It's really not a patio, but we like to call the parking spot where we eat lunch that anyways. We have no windows in our office (for safety reasons) so it's nice to get some natural sunlight to break up the day. I have had a couple mild sun burns already, but I'll deal cause I know they'll turn my skin to a shade that's less blinding.

I don't have concrete plans this summer yet, but I do hope to tan, go fishing, go camping, enjoy the beach, roller blade, might do some work on the inside of my mom's house, catch a ride with family to visit my Aunty Linda in Calgary and Sam and I want to go somewhere for a long weekend just to relax in the Rockies free of any worries, work and personal issues.

Where Did April Go?

2007-05-01T14:45:00.000-06:00

Wow, April flew by! One of the highlights of April happened on Saturday the 28th. Jer, me, Chad, Christine and Merle went to Mongo's Grill for dinner. $15.99 for the buffet is a little much for me but we had a good time and enjoyed the food. As per usual we were the most obnoxious table there. I'm sure it takes a toll on the waitress that gets stuck with us, but I wouldn't have it any other way! I haven't laughed that hard in a while. The second time we went through the line I noticed Jeremy's bowl was ridiculously overflowing with noodles even for him. My response was "Jeremy, did you put the whole noodle tray on your bowl? It's a buffet. You can come back!" Then, him and the guy in front of us (the son of a guy I work with), started to make up reasons why he needed that many noodles. It was a pointless conversation but provided us with more laughter. I'd like to note that he didn't actually eat all the noodles either. On the drive home, a few people were victims of our rowdiness as well. People don't know what to do when you stop at the bus stop and yell "I am the bus". But Chad and I did it anyways. Serves me right for telling him about the funny things Sam and I did with our friends as teens.

Don't take everything too seriously. You need to let loose sometimes and have some good old fashioned fun! Who cares if people look at you funny. Watch their expression. It makes it that much more enjoyable. Most of the time.

This is great!

2007-04-18T10:00:00.000-06:00

I know some of you wont appreciate this photo. But when I spotted it, I had a good laugh. It inspires me to do the same.

No, "ass" is not a swear word. It's a body part. And clearly that is the context in which this book title uses it. Anyone with book cover photos out there? Send them to me so I can re-title them.

What Do You Want?

2007-04-12T15:12:00.000-06:00

I don't gamble much. Honestly, I get bored after 20 - 30 minutes of tirelessly making the same motions to press how many lines I want to play and then how many credits I want to flush down the toilet that is Winnipeg's Club Regent Casino. Last time I was there, I played $5 for 45 minutes and walked out with $10. I know, I know, it doesn't sound like much. But when I go there, I fully expect to lose my $5 - $10. Once I am completely bored and done with the repetitive button pressing, I wander. Man people throw a lot of money away there. If you take a peak at the amounts people put on the table for one card game alone you'd be surprised. $300, $700, $1000, It's unbelievable! I don't understand why people do this and some of them are there on a daily basis...can you imagine how much those people throw away? Instead of wasting it in the casino, they could be saving up to fix their homes, send their kids to college, retire and not have to live on food stamps and so on. Yes, I like the games that come with VLT's, but clearly not as much as the people next to me.

I guess gambling is an addiction for some just like smoking, drinking...I guess it all comes down to how badly we want what we want for ourselves. Most people think if something is going to be difficult that's it's not worth it. But doesn't it make it more worth it? Everything in our lives that's good has taken some time and effort. I'm not going to give up on anything because it seems too hard or too big for me to handle. I think that with every ounce of effort, comes better understanding and an ability to value situations, people and life more.

Happy 21 Lori!

2007-04-05T14:41:00.000-06:00

She's 21 today! I remember days when Lori would do something that annoyed me and I would over react angrilly and tell her that she was named after a dead person (No really, she was! My dad's sister died as an infant when she went in for surgery to correct her clef pallet). Sorry that you were the first to experience my meanness Lori. Maybe you should have thought about that before you were born second! Ha ha, like you had a choice. It is actually nice that your name had a meaning behind it. In a way, as you have lived your life you've kept the memory of dad's baby sister alive.

Well I am glad that we get along better than when we were kids. You've turned out to be a great person. Keep on growing and maybe you will not end up being the shortest one of us all. At least you're still taller than Sam.

Anyways...HAPPY BIRTHDAY LORI! I hope you win the jackpot at the casino tonight!

Helpful Hints Shopper Edition...

2007-04-04T09:07:00.000-06:00

Okay, if you haven't read the first Helpful Hints post - you should. You may consider the points when out in public so you don't make people angry, consider them to push people's buttons or think of them as you are out and develop issues with public places. Here are a few Helpful Hints for all you shoppers...

1) If you're in a group of slow walking shoppers, don't walk in a straight line so no one can get by. There's nothing that makes me want to strangle myself on the spot like trying to get from store to store through a crowd and then getting slowed down to a crawl. If you'd like to stroll through that's fine, just don't block the way! Some of us know where we're going and what we want.

2) Do not yell at sales people. Just because they work in retail and you've had a bad day, doesn't mean they have "Please yell at me to the point that spit is flying out of your mouth" pasted on their forehead! And if you are one of the customers behind this rude person, say something. Don't just mumble under your breath. Be the person who improves someone else's day not the one who completely shatters it. Unless the rudeness begins at their end, in which case, I like to be rude right back or talk to them like they are 5. That always cheers me up.

3) It's taking forever to get through a line and the person behind you is so glad that they're next. Until...you pull out your small change one by one. I always picture taking that persons purse, dumping it out and counting it myself so they'll get far far away from me as soon as possible. Here's a hint...Roll it and take it to the bank. This situation is even worse when the person has forgotten their glasses.

4) Shopping is enjoyable unless you happen to walk through someone's stench! Come on people. If you are going out in public...please have a shower. People shouldn't have to breathe in your dirty, germ filled, stank wank body stench! If I wanted to smell rancid meat, old garlic, moth balls or any other nasty smells that have grown on you I would live in a garbage bin.

Well, I can't think up anything else...so have a great April. So far April in Winnipeg sucks but things could change.

"The noodle eater's hair protector"

2007-03-26T10:58:00.000-06:00

I found this online.

Ha ha! The fact that someone thought this was a good idea to patent proves that some people just have too much time on their hands. But, maybe it sells well in China. They do eat a lot of noodles there...right?

Who gets noddles in their hair? Truthfully, I would probably buy this as a gag gift for birthdays. That's about it.

I looked at this again, when translated from Chinese it actually means "funny tool".

Just Another Money sucker

2007-03-20T07:57:00.000-06:00

There are so many things that I could care less if I had. Some things are just out there for some average Joe to try and make a buck. Here's a list of what in my opinion are "money sucker items". Feel free to add more to the comments link.

"Roll up the rim" tool - honestly, if you are getting that messy from rolling it up, maybe you should wait until you are done drinking it! That would eliminate the spillage you moron. You don't need a gadget you need a new brain.

Salad spinner - I know some of you use these. That little bit of water is going to disappear once you add dressing anyways.

Rice cooker - Does anyone use a pot anymore? Boil double the amount of water to rice and cook for 25 minutes. Why spend money on one of these if you have something that can cook rice in half the time?

Eye lash curler - First of all, this thing looks like a surgical tool. These cost about $8-$20 in stores. What a waste of money. I'll use a pencil and a blow dryer if I want my lashes curled that badly.

Egg cups - I've never understood people who use these. An egg is so small, it's gone in a minute. Why bother putting each one in its own dish? Who eats an egg with a spoon anyways?

Banana tree - Just use a freakin plate people. A bowl even.

Pet rock - Come on! Would you seriously pay for a rock that someone picked up out of their back lane, painted and glued googly eyes to? What is the world coming to????

Electric Flosser - Yes they do sell these. I know flossing is annoying, but if you waste your money on this, you deserve a little tooth rot.

Tea Bag Squeezer - I don't know what you're thinking, but this just sounds wrong. But, you can buy these anywhere kitchen items are sold. Do people actually use these?

Throw Pillows - A pillow just for show?...I don't get it. Can someone please explain?

Bed Skirt - I don't want to wear a skirt never mind put one on my bed. Some prissy woman had to have invented this one.

Dog Sweater - People who buy these for their pets are retarded! Yes it's cold, but that's why THEY HAVE FUR!!! It angers me to see a dog wearing clothing. Yours may be due for a "wok" to the nearest Chinese restaurant, you're getting too attached! You want to dress something? Buy a kid! There's plenty out there!

I don't understand why people insist on cluttering up their lives with these things. I can kind of understand if you receive them as gifts and find a use for them. But don't waste your money on things that you could easily do with items you already have.

One Day Away From Relaxation

2007-03-15T10:33:00.000-06:00

I love Thursday because I know there's only one more day until the weekend. My brochures seem to be flying out of the office suddenly and I only have 4 more to complete. Woohoo! Then I can start working on the rest of the books that need to be revamped. There are quite a few here in the office that have not been redesigned since the early 80's, some since the late 70's. Some are so old, that they have never been entered into a computer. The information in each book is great except for the occasional use of the word "Indian" and the word "Gay". I'm sure you understand why these words had to be replaced.

Recently, mom bumped into someone that knew a friend of hers. He just happens to be looking for someone to do design & layout for a magazine business downtown. I will meet with him and see if it's for me. But since this happened I have been wondering about myself. What I want for myself and what effects my decisions. I do get very frustrated a lot at my current job. Although I may not go to church every Sunday, I know what I believe and I really feel that it is where God wants me to be. I don't want my decisions to be fueled by the idea of a bigger paycheck. I want to love what I do and not think about the money. Don't get me wrong, I do want to be able to live off of what I make. I just want to make sure I'm where I should be. Although this magazine thing may not even be for me, I can see this developing into a strong personal struggle for me in the future with different opportunities. Any thoughts? Please comment.

Mondays Can Be Frustrating

2007-03-12T15:08:00.000-06:00

I love what I do. Designing brochures, adjusting photos, drawing, painting and putting booklets together. But, I could do without the human interaction most of the time. Don't get me wrong, I love to be around people...sometimes. The whole point in making a brochure is to attract a person to pick it up. When you make it look ugly, they are going to go for something else. I can't seem to get some people to understand this no matter how hard I try. It's during those conversations where I wish I was right beside the person so I could taser them. Just a little shock. I don't want to kill them. Just make them sizzle a little before they say something else that's completely retarded.

Artistic Ability

2007-03-10T10:00:00.000-06:00

In 2005 I "almost" completed my schooling at Red River College. I am realizing now, that I miss all that comes with school. Just as going to the gym has made my body healthier, drawing makes my artistic ability stronger. Since I have this blog now, I thought it would be nice to post some of the stuff I did in school and some recent personal projects and work projects. They will be posted on the bottom of the page. Here's a couple books I designed...

Helpful Hints

2007-03-09T14:34:00.000-06:00

There are some things that are not ok to do around other people. Here a few, I'm sure I'll have some to add later...

1) When you are around other people don't pick and eat your scabs! This is so nasty I cannot explain how it makes me feel. Yeah, Goldmember does it in the 3rd Austin Powers movie, but that is NOT NORMAL! Especially if the scab is bleeding. I wont name names, but I've witnessed this a couple times.

2) When you don't like someone, don't look them up and down regularly and snarl at what they are wearing. People notice. If you're going to be fake nice, at least do it well. Take out a book.

3) When you are sick in the winter. Do not use your mittens to wipe your runny nose. Here in Winnipeg, it freezes and then you get on the bus and it's just not sanitary to spread those germs around. Buy some kleanex, it's cheap!

4) If you're smoking and it's really cold out, stay outside of the bus shack. The people in the bus shack have chosen not to freeze to death and when you come in with your Cancer stick, you threaten to kill them by rendering their lungs useless. Personally I'd rather brave the cold, but I shouldn't have to.

I don't understand why people do some of these things. I am no angel, I'm aware of that. But please spare the rest of us from enduring these dirty habits.

2007 Rush

2007-03-09T11:52:00.000-06:00

Wow, I am glad it's Friday! This week has been almost as crazy as last week. There are so many jobs I am struggling to juggle. I received 9 more brochures this year from Saskatchewan. This puts my brochure load up to 29. I love to design them but I will be glad to take a rest after they are all completed.

Jeremy is building confidence in working with Primerica. I was at a meeting about a week or so ago and he spoke. Wow! I was impressed. He knows his stuff and I think he's starting to realize how much he has grown. He has a passion to help families and that is great. There are so many companies out there that are out to get families. It's about time that the customer benefit from something they pay for.

Lori will be 21 in April. Chad has just turned 17 and Joelle will be 15 in July. I remember when they were all chubby little babies. Lori, brushing my friends hair with her toothbrush, Chad banging his head on the floor and Joelle using the heating vents as a dumping ground for her urine. This makes me feel a bit old. But I know I am still young and have lots of time to have kids, buy a house and so on.