Christmas and Boxing Day!

Started writing at the end of Christmas Day and continued this morning. Well, it certainly has been a very long time since I last wrote in this blog. Many things have taken place since that last posting. My birthday came and went very quietly. I applied for a permanent job as a Recreation Program Coordinator, passed a most gruelling test, got an interview of a 5-person panel...and I was successful. The sadness was having to leave Dogwood but the excitement of once again working with Helga at the brand new Glen Pine Pavilion. Many postive things to start 2008 with! Caiti came home for Christmas and James too after his final exam. We have had a very quiet Christmas this year....Caiti and James left on Christmas Day to fly to Ottawa to spend New Year with his family.
We went to Helga's on the 23rd, and then on Christmas Eve we spent it at home including James into our Pyjamas tradition so everyone unwrapped those from under the tree. We had a Prime Rib Roast dinner with Darcy starting out by browning it with the blow torch. He made yorkshire pudding from a recipe from Sharon and it puffed up beautifully.
We also got snow...after we dropped Caiti and James to the airport. James was feeling weird as he has never had a green Christmas before in fact he just cannot get over the fact that people golf during the hoiday season down here. So, it was too bad he missed the snow falling on Christmas Day afternoon in Port Moody! The rest of the day was spent lounging around the house with Darcy and Chrissy and the dogs playing Mario Party on the Nintendo Wii...that is a crazy thing, and my arm does get sore from all the vigourous activity! No turkey dinner but we made a huge platter of nachos with the works at 10pm! So much for counting the points.
Sharon and I made a commitment to go to the weekly Weight Watchers meetings now at the church on Cameron Street on Wednesdays. I really need to get back on track. There's an awesome fitness centre at Glen Pine so I have no excuses not to use the gym to lose the weight and get fit for the sake of my health!
So here's looking ahead to 2008 now that Christmas is over. Chrissy has gone to the Boxing Day sales this morning but I am so NOT into shopping anymore...the last minute Christmas shopping stressed me out completely so I need to be better prepared next year. One more day off then back to work for Thursday and Friday, the weekend then work on New Year's Eve.

Laryngitis?

I have not been sick for the longest of times and I actually don't feel too too bad except that on Thursday night I had no voice. Went to work on Friday and was struggling to get the words out.
The cough is here and causing my ribs to hurt from the strain.
I have been staying indoors and lying around and hoping to feel better by tomorrow.
I have finished my resume and its due next week...prepare for the interview (if I get one)...and hope for the very best.
It would be the best birthday present to finally land the job of my dreams!

Caiti is home for reading break

Darcy was up in Kelowna on Thursday and so on Friday he drove Caiti home for her reading break. She will be hanging around here for most of the week.
The two sisters drove out to UBC last night to meet up with friends living at the UBC Gage Towers. Chrissy ended up driving home as she has been sick for a good part of this week and didn't feel like crashing on someone's floor.
This afternoon we drove out to UBC to pick Caiti up and also to go downtown to Tampopo for sushi. We like going down there for lunch.
On the way home we stopped by Queensborough where its sort of like outlet mall shopping but we didn't find any good deals at all. Anyway...home we came and settling down to a quiet evening watching TV and relaxing. I am fighting this darn cold from Chrissy.

Halloween over...here comes November

It was a very busy Halloween evening...but it was just Darcy and I at home handing out the candy. Chrissy was scheduled to work but then it was so quiet she didn't have to so went to visit a friend and then came home to hang out at someone's place on the next street up.

We had over 200 kids for sure in all sorts of costumes. We bought alot of candy and it was going out the door in handfuls...we tend to be a little too generous. We had to put Sheba and Speedo downstairs as they got a little excited to hear the kids at the door.
We dressed up at work but it was a pretty mellow day as Raye and Judy were doing interviews so we were not all in the office.

With Halloween over, it means that Remembrance Day is around the corner...my birthday too!!!
Took down the decorations in the carport. Darcy and Chrissy both at work so I am having a quiet day doing laundry and making a spicy jambalaya in the crock pot. I should be preparing for impending job interview but the brain is a little stressed out to do that today.

Darcy took Sheba so its justv Speedo the lazy dog with me.

Almost Halloween

I have not done a great job of trying to write more in this blog. I had every intention of writing a full account of my day trip to the Titanic Artifacts exhibit in Victoria...we picked one of the sunniest and warmest day ever for that trip on Oct 13.
I have no idea why time is just whipping by so fast like this...hardly have time to breathe with all the things that are happening around me.
Since my last post...well, Thanksgiving came and went. Chrissy has had some ups and downs. A visit from the local police just checking on her and cautioning her that her great desire to save the world may have detrimental effects on her own well-being. She did go to a party last night but she left her car at home and had Darcy pick her up at 11:30 p.m. so that was good. She has been making it to school as consistently as she can...still working so we cannot complain. She needs to just get on with things.
Caiti is doing well, studying but also finding some time to relax and have some fun as you do need to have some distractions while at university to get the full experience.
Work...still in limbo but hoping that will all be resolved soon enough. I has planned to get my resume updated but I just couldn't wrap my head around it. I procrastinated and found other things to do.
The big HD TV has been bad for getting things accomplished...and the ability to tape everything on the PVR. I am hooked on way too many shows now! However, when life is not that exciting you have to live vicariously through the idiot box I guess.
Darcy is still doing his own thing with work and with BCSSA so its been two weekends I have been just bumming around and yet getting nothing that I want done - house is a disaster - no show home here!
So...Halloween is coming and I have enough candy for hundreds of kids...literally hundred. Darcy went a little overboard!
Rain..well we have had a lot of rain but I actually don't mind; however, I have not been out walking and that has been terrible for me!!! Anyway...its Pizza for dinner tonight...oh well...bad choice I know.

Thanksgiving Weekend

Thanksgiving weekend...last day of the long weekend. Small turkey with stuffing in the oven and living-room in chaos as Darcy attempts to mount his 50" HD Panasonic Viera TV on the wall. Cleaning up and trying to get rid of the clutter.
Chrissy has worked all this weekend and Caiti stayed in Kelowna as James' dad came into town. They cooked a turkey on Friday night and didn't eat until 11pm.
Darcy went to brunch with his parents on Saturday morning...I didn't feel up to going and facing them. In the afternoon we went to Giuseppe's for a pasta lunch, took Sheba and Speedo for a walk at Trout lake and got totally soaked... and then came home to just lie around. Made a small ham for dinner with Caesar salad.
It was pouring rain on Sunday in the morning. Dropped off the huge package of ribs for Tino to marinade. Cooked a large pot of lamb curry. Sharon and I decided we needed to have a non-traditional Thanksgiving so we had curry, BBQ ribs, rice, salad. It was nice as we just had ourselves and the kids. We were home early but it was a nice invitation. Today Sharon has 18+ for a huge family feast so probably as busy as can be. Darcy still has the living-room in a mess but hopefully he will made some headway before the end of this evening.
It was sunny today but we just hung around the house when we should have taken advantage of the nice weather.
Another Thanksgiving...we are doing better than last year so thats something to be grateful about.
Trying to decide if we are going to decorate for Halloween or not this year or is it time to turn off the lights. We do spend over $100 on candies and its nice to see all the little kids coming by...so we shall think about it.

September comes to a close

September was just here and now its pretty much done. This was a very busy week with the two 30th Dogwood Anniversary celebrations with the Tea on Wednesday and the BBQ Dinner last night. Both events were spectacular and fun but working special events is EXHAUSTING! Last night we were worked off our feet. Judy, Chris and Nancy and I were running around like chickens. What an initiation for Chris and his inaugural Dogwood Special event. Both the tea and the dinner was catered by Centennial High School but we had to rent all the dishes etc which meant we were cleaning off the food and stacking dirty dishes and cutlery on top of all the other tasks. On Wednesday we had entertainment by our Songsters choir group and the Drama group and last night it was a full concert by the Mop Tops who act and sound like authentic Beatles...so the music was great and lively and all the important dignaries came out to an awesome evening. No doubt...tired as hell as the end of the evening.
This morning...we woke up when Chrissy was heading out to work. Had to return some carafes we had rented. Did the Wings deposit and then off to find dessert for the party we had been last minute invited to. Thank goodness Sharon suggested the Valley Bakery as it was their 50th Anniversary celebration and all their speciality squares were 50 cents each!!
Then because the rains had not yet arrived...Darcy and I wandered around Chinatown for a couple of hours...had lunch at Hons...it was fun being tourists for a little while.

Quiet Saturday evening

Isn't it always a quiet Saturday evening? The main flurry of Wings registration is done...made the first bank deposit of the season and it was a huge one. Bought a new goose down duvet and cover for the first time in maybe 10 years...guess the one we have been using was worth the price we had paid at that time. It was Bay Days so my $350 duvet cover was only $130 so I can't complain at the deal. Darcy wouldn't let me get the matching bed skirt and pillow shams...I should sneak back and do it anyway. So we are heading into the last day of summer. The chill is coming but I like the cooler temperatures so I appreciate the fall months.
It was a busy week at work...Darcy was away on a fishing trip/work related week on Vancouver Island at Painters and Sonoro Lodge. He brought home only a single fish thats in the fridge at the moment. Chrissy is making it to school but has decided that she needs to cut back on work. We hope its to do more school work and not to ferry Luis around like she seems to be doing.
Caiti has a great car-pool set up for the commuting to Penticton for their clinicals so she is holding her own fort there in Kelowna.
I didn't apply for the full-time senior centre assistant position...I am going to hold out and see if I can apply for the RPC one when it comes out and hope for the best.
Not much else really thats worth blogging about...ho-hum life.

September

I cannot believe that in the whole month of August I did not write a single post in this blog. That is amazing that the whole month went by and I did not get a chance to put anything down in writing. Time just has a way of slipping by and before you know it the days and weeks have flown by.
What happened in August? Well I guess Darcy and I spent our 22nd anniversary at the Regionals for swimming and we worked that whole weekend. We did spend 5 days in Prince George for the BCSSA Provincials...it was nice to get away but it was one strange weekend starting out with the amazing thunder and lightening storm on the Thursday night to one drama after another. We did go visit Barkerville on the way home which meant that it was a very long day getting back. Chrissy took a week off working thinking she could spend it at the lake since Michael and Alicia were going but that didn't work out too great and she was home by the Tuesday. She did take the week off to try and regroup herself anyway. We went down to Tulalip last weekend to do some shopping and then this weekend we did a day trip to see Caiti as she moves back on campus for year 2 at UBC.
I am moving on to covering Judy's work for the next few months full-time and then wait and see what happens at the end of October with the job situation with the hope that something comes out of all this shuffling around.
Raye became a gramma and has a little baby grand-daughter named Kiera. We bought a really nice outfit in Irish green from OshKosh.
Perhaps, this fall will give me a little more time to write...but Wings also starts up again with the try-outs on Thursday so no retirement for me yet from this job.
Today...cooking a turkey so we can get it out of the freezer. We just spent the whole day at home, Darcy and I since Chrissy was at work collecting her double time. Tomorrow she has to figure out what she will do for this last year of school...be it physically go to school or do everything online...it has to be her decision to make. She wants to continue working because she likes having the income to spend on her car.
Life just goes on...thats the way it goes.

Another weekend goes by

Weekends are simply NOT long enough. Friday come and then before you know its Sunday night and tomorrow it is back to work again...not that going to work is a bad thing...it has been really interesting and busy.
We had Jill's farewell party on Friday and it was wonderful. The afternoon tea went well and they can laugh all they want about the 12 boxes of kleenex that I ordered because the slide show of memories of Jill over the last 30 years was awesome...Karen did a great job putting it together! Judy was also announced as the new senior centre coordinator and Cindi and Chill supervising the east and west. More changes on the work front as always.
Saturday was also the start of registration for Wings so I am going a little crazy right how with 101 things to do for everything! Another season and I am still here doing all of this...just crazy!
Someday I will be able to retire from Wings...but who knows when that will ever be! Helga is still around despite her so-called retirement.
On Saturday, Darcy and I took the dogs to Trout Lake where they were in preparation for a special luminary event as there paper mache lanterns being set up and artistic displays all around that I took some photos of that I will need to download. We were going to go to the fireworks but we changed our mind as the thought of the Sat. night crowds was discouraging.
We went to Costco this afternoon for a few items and then came home to put a roast on the rotisserie but Darcy didn't get the temperature quite right so it was a little overdone but still tasted good.
This is a busy week coming up...

July 23 aftermath of the rainy week

Well, it rained for 7 days and 7 nights...such biblical implications.
Caiti and James came home for a quick weekend visit. Caiti came to meet up with her guiding friends for their Harry Potter book line-up party and then she stayed up to read the entire book...it was ok for her because she works the night shift so she wasn't one bit tired. Of course, she slept in on Saturday. Just as well as Chrissy was at work and Darcy and I went out to Spani Pool (wish we hadn't because it was fraught with a lot of frustration and disappointment how they were running the meet with a senior official as the meet ref who was totally and completely clueless!!!)
We waited for Chrissy to get home from work and so she could drive Caiti to pick up James where he was visiting with some of his buddies. Darcy and I went to line up at Antons as that is where Caiti wanted to go for dinner. We waited for an hour and a half but it was worth it as we had a wonderful dinner with both girls and James and Luis. After dinner, we stopped off to see Sharon and Tino so that James could get the seal of approval from Tino. Sharon had the pleasure of offering Caiti an official and legal crantini served by her which was nice. We only stayed briefly as Caiti and James had plans to go out but they ended up not going out but just over to Westhill to hang out with Caiti's friends, Danie, Kirky etc...
The next morning, we went into town for Dim Sum at the Schezwan Chongquing Restaurant and it was enjoyable...I grossed James out by yummy spicy chicken feet!!! After we came home from dim sum, we visited a little more and then they packed up the van and off they went home to Kelowna. It was nice seeing Caiti and listening to them talk about their trip to visit James' family in Ottawa. His father is famous...National Golf Course Owners Association President Mark Seabrook, so she lived a high life. They have a mansion on the edge of one of his courses and while James was golfing she was lunching at the clubhouse and relaxing.
Anyway...today I am feeling like I am coming down with something so I need to get to bed earlier!!!

Saturday Morning

We have just come out of an incredible heat wave...the temperatures soared and it felt like being at home in Malaysia except that we didn't have the humidity. Thank goodness for working in a very cold air-con office!!! It was too hot for Speedo and Sheba upstairs so they lounged in the very cool basement all week.
I am envious of Jen leaving for a month long visit home to Malaysia on Sunday. She will have a nice visit and enjoy the great food and just the more relaxed visit with no rushing about for Jot's wedding like our last visit.
This was a very hectic week at work...the changes have not yet been resolved but it will all be coming down soon. It was good to be busy though...have to complete putting in all the bus trips for the Fall and keeping track of payments on all the trips for the summer.
Darcy and I stopped by to assist at the PMA Development meet...it was not sanctioned as there were no officials. When we got there, Mike was ref-fing and starting the meet himself on one side of the pool. Just 2 stopwatches and as the cards came in there sorted and stapled onto 1-6 place ribbons and the rest of the cards just stapled and put away. It was extremely informal with no real sense of a true meet for anyone. Even more laissez-faire than a time trials.
Chrissy had a tough week this week...car wouldn't start on Wed, night after she went swimming at CCAC, locked herself out of the house in the morning with no cart keys to get to work so had to call in late ...then she wasn't allowed to pick up her orders from the warehouse because she still hadn't got her steel-toed boots which she had to go and buy so that she could get on with her job...her fault for putting it off nonetheless she was ticked on all counts.
Caiti is home from her vacationing jaunt back east....and is back to work. She says she will come home next weekend for a little visit plus its getting the Harry Potter new book weekend so wants to hang out with Danie and Kirky. I didn't ask her if she has seen the new movie out yet. Maybe we will go and see it this weekend.
Darcy's sciatica is acting up again and with the heat he was having an awful time sleeping...so is behaving like a grizzly bear so staying as clear of him as possible!
I have to get on with the Wings Registration online form and get going on issuing the Fitness Tax Credit receipt for Jan-June 2007 so need to get down to work for that...waiting for the rains to come back to start.

Cool summer mornings

I love the freshness of an early summer morning...even if it is a Sunday and I should be sleeping in. Just me and Speedo up and hanging out...really all he wants is for me to feed him his breakfast!
This week was supposedly a short week but it felt like a normal week. So much happening at work but soon the dust will settle with everyone in place and we shall see how it all works out. We had a farewell party for big boss Jill on Friday night at Sharon's house with a giant chinese food buffet. Darcy kindly picked up all the food for us from the Lougheed Wonton on St. Johns. The food is pretty good...we had to meet Karen's criteria that it not be Mat Salleh food!! For her benefit I made authentic lamb curry with the last of the curry powder that mum and dad sent with May. She drooled over the kambing kari...as did Andre and wanted to keep the leftovers but Sharon scooped it up, packed away in her fridge and that was that. I made a quiz to play with prizes from the loonie store...and then we all recited a stanza entitled "Thirty Years at Dogwood" written by Judy's husband Mike. It is a wonderful tribute with some very funny parts but mostly touching...so we will present this at her official farewell tea on July 27 where all the members have been invited to attend. We will probably need a many boxes of kleenex. She has been such an incredible boss, friend and mentor...this is a huge well-deserved promotion for her so we all wish her the very best!
I went to support Darcy at his regional meeting on Wednesday night at the McGee Room...with neither of the girls swimming or coaching, I am helping him put since he is volunteering his service I would do with alongside. We spent the weekend at the Golden Spike Meet and he has the Simon Fraser Regional Meet to organize for the August long weekend. Guess we will be spending our anniversary on Aug 3 at the pool. Summer swimming seems to be undergoing some pain at the moment...attitudes seem to be very negative with very club presidents frustrated at the lack of commitment from parents but mostly as Barry Parish put it the lack of hype from the coaches encouraging all swimmers to aim for the regional meet as the highlight of their swimmer as they set their sight for the Provincial Championships. No doubt that Prince George could be a deterrent but everyone can attend regionals and then scratch from attending provincials allowing alternates to go instead. It has been an interesting season for most of the clubs, I think only the Mantas and the Marlins have escaped soap opera-like drama in their camps.
Last night, it was nice to have a family evening with Chrissy. She was home from work at 5pm so we went for fish and chips, then to Wal-Mart to get the prescription for her numerous mosquito bites that have turn into welts (seems she is allergic to these bites?) She drove us in her car. We decided to go see Shrek in the fancy theatre in Pitt Meadows but it was already gone from the big screen so we drove on to the Mission cineplex where tickets are quite a bit cheaper and saw Evan Almighty instead plus Darcy filled up her car for a $1 a litre...best deal ever for gas at the moment. She was happy that he did that....gas for her car is the best present anyone can give her nowadays.
So that was our week...we may pop over the line to Bellingham today because Speedo is out of his special beef dog food so we shall see.

Happy Canada Day!!

Well...July 1st. Happy Birthday Canada!
It was a very warm and sunny day. Darcy and I had commited to volunteer for both days of the PMA Golden Spike swim meet. We really didn't mind at all seeing how they were in need of our assistance. We seem like really old-timers with all the new faces and such but it is always nice to do it for the young swimmers. We have had 14 years of alot of summer swimming memories so our contribution is to the happy memories for others families too. We were there both days at 7:30 am and stayed to the very end. Darcy was on deck and I was on the crash desk as always. It was all good.
I persuaded Terry and Rene to come out and show their faces which they did. Yesterday we went to the Frogstone Grill for dinner after and had Ally as our server so we tipped her very well. Darcy is snoring away on the couch at the moment resting from his day.
Caiti is on vacation visiting James' family in Ottawa for 10 days so that is where she is this Canada Day.
Chrissy is working full time at Lordco now that school is out for the year so she is busy herself and comes and goes on her own. Such is life soon with no kids around...

Good-Bye to College Park School

It was a very festive atmosphere with carnival-type games and a trio of guys singing under a tent and the smell of a barbecue going. The fire-truck was out..in fact it very much resembled the good ol' College Park barbecues we used to have in early Septembers when it is still summer warm. Darcy had spikes to drop off to Margot since he so kindly offered to pick them up from Annacis Island and so we were in the neighbourhood. Karen had also called to make sure that we would stop by so we thought we would have one more visit to the school just so we can report to the girls that we did.
Walking down that path through the playground and to find Mrs. Bishop right there in the line-up to get a balloon hat was very heart-warming. We really didn't recognize as many faces...and so we did feel a little out of place. It was nice to see all the photo displays and the hallways were very familiar and nothing has changed since Caiti's first day of kindergarten 13 or so years ago. Of course, Mrs. Santone (we talked about this at Dogwood already this week), Mr. Seath, Mrs. Stanley and Mrs. Powell. I would have liked to have seen Mr. Boss and Mr. Cass and Ms. Pepper...and oh my goodness if Ms. Creelman had shown up from out of the blue.
The organizers did a very good job...and it was a good way to celebrate the closure. The balloon-release was very exciting and hopefully some media coverage will follow.
I called Kari as I was looking out for her and was worried that she had forgotten or something as we had initially made plans for her to pick me up and go there instead of going to Curves. She came and had a little chance to visit with a few people. I won an umbrella in the draw...
after we were invited for some drinks over at Karen's and Steve's for a little while just to catch up on the Wings year-end show and the coaching changes for Jill etc...Enza came by for a little while to fill us in on the PMA soap opera drama...and that was pretty much the evening!!!

Wings Year End Show

Yesterday was the Wings Year End Show...the theme: Dreams! As always...a packed full house of over 300...we did very well with the admission by donation. As always a great show despite the fact that we had alot of uncertainties if it could be pulled off. The Comp. girls were stunning and the acro-boys spectacular! It was also very emotional with Karen leaving but happy with Jess coming back. Anyway...we have 2 more work-outs and then we break for the summer; however, its onto registrations for the next season already!
I was simply exhausted last night as running around like a chicken takes a great deal of effort.
Michelle put some photos on Facebook already so it was very cool to see them.
Not having a great day with Chrissy...she was very cranky and in a flap about something.
Not sure why she gets herself into such a state about things.

Father's Day 2007

Rainy...we slept in and then decided to head down to Bellingham for lunch. Went to Boston's (like Boston Pizza here) and had a fabulous lunch...a bit much but it was breakfast, lunch and dinner all in one. We let Darcy head off on his own for 1.5 hours and Chrissy and I went to Bellis Fair and browsed around. We didn't but alot of stuff but a few items of clothing each. There was no border traffic so it was a easy trip down and back...car gassed up and a visit to Costco as well.
Came home to tackle the laundry...so changed into jammies and just got comfy. Chrissy vacuumed her car and cleaned it and then headed out with Chris to hang out somewhere...wherever.
She got her first Lordco paycheque on Friday so was quite thrilled with it. With Wings wrapping up in the next week or so, at least she will still have a steady income coming in. Having her own car gives her a great deal of independance...she went and got her own stereo re-installed by herself.
Darcy had a very good visit with Caiti so they had their Father's Day together in advance already. She was working a 12 hour shift today so wouldn't get a chance to call. So..already June is part way over...time is just flying by. Raye gets back from her week off and I will tell her the news about me keeping my extra hours for now until they fnalize the job postings.

Rainy Saturday!

What a very quiet day I am having. Darcy has been out of town since Monday and Chrissy is at work until 5pm. So...what have I been doing? I was going to repaint the small bathroom but the paint colour is NOT what I want at all and I cannot even pretend that I like it...so no painting today. I have done 3 loads of laundry. I updated Karen's agility website and then I played on Facebook for a little while. Now...watching something I taped from Masterpiece Theatre and while I should be having a cup of tea I am drinking diet coke...(oops and I ate some leftover chips too!)
So...this week...not much. It was awesome that Chrissy came out to help at the Mexico Lindo Pubnight at work last night. But then she left her lights on so we had to get a jump and thank goodness she carries her jumper cables in her trunk all the time. Her lights don't automatically shut off so her worst fears of draining the battery happened. Nancy stayed to help while Karen took off but we got help from a very "tough" girl from Coquitlam Towing who happened to be passing by too.
Darcy got to see Caiti this week. She got offered a full-time posting but then she is off to Ottawa with James for 2 weeks for Canada Day. This weekend she has gone with Darcy to Trail so hopefully that visit will not be too traumatic for her...she has come a long way and she is mature enough to have her life together to move on.
Chrissy has been working at Lordco and so far no complaints...the pay is minimal but we hope that it will boost her confidence and her self-esteem...she loves driving and she seems to fit in with the crew.
So...off to lie on the couch again!

Sunny June!

Yesterday was the first of June...incredible how fast May went by. The weather has been really nice. I seem to have a love-hate relationship with sun and heat. No doubt the sunshine is bright~ I have not yet done my garden yet...might have to be next weekend before I get a chance to go flower-shopping.
This week, Chrissy got a job opportunity at Lordco as a driver of parts to various mechanics back and forth to the warehouse. She is on a training run to see how she likes it. She loves driving and the automotive field might be a good fit for her....we shall see.
Darcy is opening a new store in Langley so very busy this whole weekend before he heads out for a week in the interior visiting his other branches.
Last night, I went with Rene to see Clint Black which was actually awesome. He was very personable and had great versatility in his voice. I always used to like Lisa Hartman (Tabitha -his wife) so it was sweet his ballads and love songs! It was a pleasant evening out and since tomorrow is Nicki's grad it was nice to have a little visit. She really likes music and live shows and since we enjoyed going to Martha and the Vandellas, it was nice she was not busy and free to go last night. Getting these complimentary tickets to Red Robinson Show Theatre is wonderful and a great opportunity to share with the seniors.
So...this morning...I am on my own since both Darcy and Chrissy are at work...time to get some Wings work done, I guess and update Karen's website for her.
We also found out this week that Jill is leaving us and moving onto to be Manager of Town Centre...so sad but happy for her because she deserves to be recognized for all her incredible leadership skills!!!

Change is good?

We didn't do anything over the Victoria Day weekend...it rained and we stayed in and just chilled...a little boring but its amazing how time just flies by and then the long weekend was over.
Darcy bought his dream Weber grill...his old barbecue just about felldown and could have burnt the house down...so now he has his beautiful stainless/cast iron grill of his desires...so far what he has booked has been delicious.
This past weekend we went to the Eat Vancouver! culinary fair at BC Place stadium. It was lots of fun trying all the samples and bringing home mainly pet food freebies galore. It was nice to do something different on a weekend.
Work...well...lots of suspense for pending changes...so we shall just sit back and see what unfolds.
Chrissy...an up and down week...she is all over the board but we just have to hang in there and take each day as it comes as always.
Caiti...seems to be doing fine...working steadily and thats pretty much her news.
Speedo and Sheba had a marathon fun day day at Buntzen lake when Chrissy took them yesterday for a few hours of freedom and swimming...they were exhausted when they got home from too much fun!!

The middle of May

It was Mother's Day last weekend and I really didn't have much to say about it. Caiti did send me a text message first thing in the morning as she was at work and she did call in the evening when she got home but she was so tired after having worked like 40 hours in 3 days (she's really prepping up for the true shift work once she gets her RN!) It was a lovely gift to have her sounding so thrilled about her work with her "patients" and because it was Mother's week pretty much there were lots of special teas. Working on Mother's Day was wonderful because she saw the flowers and the love that families brought to visit their mums and grammas and even great-grammas. She was painting nails and picking pretty outfits and doing hair in helping them get ready for their outings and their teas...she said it was very satisfying work that day.
We were going to go for brunch but we bailed...it was too pricey. Chrissy and I went shopping at the mall and treated ourselves to a few things...I needed shoes for walking so we got a pair and also a pair of work sandals. It was nice to escape like that.
This week was so busy at work with the packing up and the getting ready for the renovations to begin. It was also fun because I went out for lunch twice with Jill and Sharon...once for Pho and today we went to the John B and even had a drink too and then we went back to work...oh well...it was just a light little drink!!!
So now...its the long weekend...I have not been feeling that great so looking forward to some quiet time and maybe some social time with friends any are around and up to doing something.
Last Friday we went to dinner with Helga and Roy, Bill and Joanne for mexican at carlos' and we had such fun and back to Helga's for several glasses of yummy wine...it was really nice having a social evening for a change instead of stuck in front of the TV!!!
Helga got the job at Glenpine so that is great for her. She was also subbing for Jovan at Wings and it was just like old times back at the gym!!!
So...here's to Queen Victoria's birthday weekend!!!

Sunday and already a week into May

Hard to believe that it is already a week into May. Called home on May 1 for Mum's birthday...we had sent her some flowers and some Ferraro Rocher chocolate online. Caiti was home last weekend and then she was back to Kelowna with the van. MSN-ed her tonight as she was home for dinner and a quick snooze before her 11pm to 8am shift at the home. She also worked at the mall this afternoon. She will appreciate her days off for sure but will take all the hours she can get when she can.
Chrissy bought a 1994 white Honda Civic...a standard which she learnt to drive in an hour. She was starting and stalling here and there but Darcy is quite confident that within a week with practice she will be driving around with ease. She is now responsible for her own gas and her repairs. We helped her buy the vehicle from Mike at Wings who had bought it from Ross at Wings so we know the previous owners. She found the jeep too bumpy and with no trunk to lock things up it wasn't very practical. The jeep is good for taking the dogs to the park and that is pretty much all its good for. This will give Darcy back the Accord and make her accountable for her own car.
This will be a fulltime week for me again with lots of hours. Taking each week as it comes. I don't mind actually cutting back a little with the hope that once the weather gets warmer I can get back out there and walk more.
With Caiti settled and Chrissy still finding her way, we just keep on going. Darcy is finding his way in his new job and already he has been there over a month. I can't say enough how time flies.
First time in 14 years, May comes around and we do not have to worry about swim practice scheduled or anything like that. On Sunday, we stopped at CG Brown at the end of the Mantas practice to give Tony an officials disk and stopped to chat with Bryan Geary who filled us in on all his brothers. He asked if we would still be coming around and we said from time to time...maybe just to show up for Finals or something like that...LOL...This is good...we are ready to move on from the swimming cult...held us captive for way too long.
I am looking forward to getting some flowers into the window box and doing some day trips with the dogs...I realize that I have never been to places like Bowen Island.
This week, I am going to try and get to Curves at least 3 times...I have to!!!

Caiti home for a few days!

April draws to a close. Caiti has completed her first year at UBC. She came home on Friday night and will stay until Tuesday or so. She is picking up the van and gathering her summer clothes etc. Darcy helped her and James move into the house. She also got her careaide attendant job as well as assistant store manager for Jacob Jr. So will be juggling 2 jobs over the summer to save for school as well as to enjoy an okanagan summer. It will a little hectic with the shifts at the carehome but for the hourly wage she will be receiving, she won't be complaining at all.
So...yesterday we ran a few errands (like getting her to the dentist) and went for sushi lunch. The weather was beautiful and we also went down to the Annacis/Queensborough outlet centre where its almost as good as going to the USA. The Guess store is identical to the one in Tulalip and in Cdn prices!
Looks like another sunny day today so we have to do a few more things before she leaves. Independance is a beautiful thing and we have to let it happen. Slowly I am warming up to the idea of having an empty nest...in a positive way!

How time goes by

I am just amazed at how time goes by and how far in between my postings are without realizing that I have not written anything in weeks, and how can that possibly be.
Seems like Darcy has been back to work forever as he has already been to Calgary twice and heads out to San Fran tomorrow until Wednesday night. I guess I have been busy at work but now know that in May I am back to about 25 hours a week or so unless I actively get hours back at Pinetree (not sure yet if I want to right away). It was good getting back to Curves...first 2 work-outs in months...so if I work less I could have a little more time to go to the gym.
Caiti even had her 19th birthday since my last posting. I haven't even had time to think about this milestone in her life let alone for us as parents. She is in the midst of final exams and will be home to pick up the van that we are giving her before her summer course starts up.
Chrissy...a little more drama this week with the whole incident on Thursday night with her and Laina calling the police because of a unexpected party that came about due to the fact that people just arrived uninvited and pretty much trashed the house. And more than that, the police using their names to identify them as having called to break up the chaos. I ended up calling to speak to the young constable at my disappointment that she would have done that when these girls took the responsibility to seek help and now her revelations have made them walking targets. I look forward to the day when some of this drama can be a thing of the past. Chrissy always trying to save the day, being the chauffeur to the helpless or more like dumb-ass "friends" who then turn around to "bite her" for being the responsible designated driver. She loves driving so much she is now eager to learn how to drive a standard as she seems interested in a job as some sort of courier for autoparts at Lordco. She seems to have a great sense of direction so maybe it would be a fun summer job.
I am thinking I should take Speedo for a walk before the rains return today...hockey game tonight. This was a crazy week with the Virginia Tech massacre happening.

Gorgeous day!!!

Darcy and I took the dogs in the jeep...we had to run the old gas out so we can refill it so he can have it pass aircare tomorrow. We drove all the way out to Agassiz and then stopped at the dykes and walked for 2 hours. Speedo had his share of swimming and running and being off-leash. It was so sunny and it was so HOT! A tad of red on the skin from a slight sunburn perhaps. It was wonderful to have such a great afternoon!!!

Easter Weekend

4 days off and its already half way into Good Friday and we are still in PJs and trying to get going on the day. No plans really for this weekend...no big dinner, as far as we know Caiti is not home and Chrissy is in and out anyway.
2 weeks since Darcy started at Gescan, and so far he hasn't had anything really much to say...so I guess he must be adjusting and learning and meeting all the members of the "team". He is off to Calgary for couple of days next week. I think its great that he has so far been home at a decent hour like most ordinary people. This week he managed to take care of all the little things that needed to get done to the van before we give it to Caiti for to have and insure under her own name.
Caiti told us this week that she will be staying up in Kelowna over the summer...most likely now indefinitely. Moving into a fully furnished house and taking a summer course as well as working at the carehome since she will have her Care attendant certification under her belt. They offered her a job and at a starting wage of $20.00/hr and a chance to stay on-call during the regular school year, this is an opportunity to take in the field she wants to gain experience in...coaching swimming certainly does not make the money she needs for school and to live on her own. April 11 is her 19th birthday...so it is time for her to venture out and do what she needs to do.
Chrissy has been busy getting Funastics at Wings organized...she doesn't mind the driving around at all...infact we think she should be a driver of some sort ...like a cabbie because she loves driving so much.
Kari and I went to meet with some members of this years' aftergrad committee at Moody and we were quite surprised at their lack of organization and funding seeing how its 6 weeks to the event. Last year was fun being involved but as always I think I committed way too much...with Chrissy not knowing what is up with school, I won't have to engage myself next year.
This was a weird work week being at bookings because Mary had some testing done for her heart and needed to rest for the week. Weird as in I ended most days at Dogwood and found that I barely had enough time to get all my Dogwood stuff done. At least it was steady at bookings with things to do...did all the pool time for the Sharks at Chimo, Spani and Eagleridge for this summer season.
So...off to have my shower and then hopefully out for a walk...

New challenge!

Well, Darcy has another week in his 8 week vacation to go...today he went into the Gescan office and completed the signing of the paperwork for his new job which he starts after Spring Break. A new challenge and something new to look forward to. Wages and benefits are good...commute is great and he feels very comfortable already working for his new boss who really was an old boss from the Texcan days.
So...nice to breathe a great sigh of relief that we are back on track...a little ahead with the severance package taking care of some of our debt...we now only have the mortgage. Whew!!
Meeting at the school again for Chrissy where things are still not going terribly great...another emotional breakdown in the meeting with the support crew. There is no doubt that things are rough for her and going through the issues with the "so-called" friends who don't have a clue what she has gone through and go around saying evil things about her...if they only knew the trauma she has had to go through they might feel a little mean.
We are thinking we will drive up to see Caiti tomorrow since she is stressed out about her computer issues....we will take the laptop up and if needs be swaps hers and come back and get hers fixed. She has tons of papers and finals to study for....
Life needs to swing upwards for us!

Rain

Could it have rained any harder today....we were completely and totally drenched as we walked the dogs along the dykes. Despite the gore-tex jackets and all we were very very wet. Of course, we had to stop at the store on the way...we hardly ever go to Superstore but we wanted to stock up on the Montego Bay President's Choice Jerk sauce...and Sharon had a nice ham the other day and so we wanted to pick one up so we could make a nice pot of soup with the leftovers too. My feet were soaking wet so I squelched my way through the store.
We have just been snoozing on the couch...nice rainy and wet afternoon...so peaceful without Chrissy around.

Crazy Week!

This was a crazy week...with Raye in Winnipeg I was at Dogwood full-time and it was awesome. No evening shift and just a regular although busy work week!! Chrissy has settled into doing her distance ed courses...the soap opera at school has made her resolve to not go through all the drama that kids seem to find themselves engaged in.Tonight Darcy and I have the whole weekend to ourselves. Chrissy off to visit Alicia in Victoria. We went out to Antons for dinner so feel rather blotto full at the moment. While he snoozes his dinner, I thought I would try and catch up here. He had a good meeting with Chris MacVitie at Gescan...so we shall see if an offer comes though next week. We don't want to get too optimistic seeing how Darcy hasn't even really gotten out there with his newly revamped resume....in fact, he feels like he needs to do more soul-searching for that perfect job he is seeking. However, I would appreciate some certainty and security....but we are actually managing suprisingly on my lowly income proving that we had too much waste happening and we can actually live without too many frills...we are way too spoilt. We are starting to think about retirement...feels like it when the girls are both not at home...Tomorrow...well, hope we get a good walk in...and then we have Genelle's Pub night to go to which means more slips from my WW plan...Busy but all in all...things just keep on going...plus...guess we are springing forward this weekend too!!!

March already

Where in the world did February go?
Thia last week was extremely busy...living in the aftermath of the wings onslaught from Brian regarding the financials and knowing that soon I would like to move on from running that club. No one seems to realize how much time and effort I put into that organization. Work was pretty busy too and going to get even more with Raye going to see her Mum in Winnipeg again. It will be nice to have a full consistent week at Dogwood and its been great being able to juggle in Judy's work as well which has been nothing short of interesting.
Chrissy has been racking up the mileage and again another soap opera with Luis the other night causing her a great deal of strife. She did start back up swimming in the mornings when she drops me off to work before school and is trying to make some changes which we hope will stay in the positive direction. She can get ugly when she is in a funk and just too emotional to be rational.
It was such a snowy/rainy/chilly week weather-wise. Was not a great work-out week and didn't move the scale in any direction. Darcy has made a few connections but hasn't really gone gang-busters puting himself out there yet....still enjoying his stress leave.

Boulevard Casino and Wii

Last night on a whim we met up with Kari and Ray at the Boulevard Casino. Huge...massive place with hundreds of machines and games table. Spent my $20 in less than 15 minutes! Kari and I went and signed up for this card thing and got $5.00 free. Well...played that on a 1 cent machine and it was gone in no time too. Darcy played some roulette with Ray and spent his $20...my verdict...we are not casino type people. It was fun to watch the people and be amazed that some people do win...but for us with no luck...people watching is what we do best.

After we went to the 2 parrots pub and Kari's half order of nachos was HUMUNGOUS!! Nice to have an evening away from home...and away from the TV. Chrissy had a whole pile of friends over so were were glad about that. Why? Because Michael secured her a WII...yes a Nintendo WII system. We tried it a little and it seems rather ridiculous to me standing there golfing in the living room. Oh wel...you do get some form of a work-out!

A first ever...canucks hockey game!

I moved here in August 1982. Not once have I ever been to a real live Canucks hockey game. Last night's game against Colorado was my first. We got two free tickets from going to that Time Share presentation and it was worth listening to the guy rambling on.
It was so much fun...such energy and such a different experience than watching on TV. We almost won free Haagen-Dasz ice-cream bars...the row above us got them from Fin the mascot. The excitement and all the technology for a full General Motors Place experience.
One thing...we didn't spend a penny on the very expensive drinks and food...we stopped at White Spot on the way home after. It was awesome that a senior won the $10,000.00 in the shoot to win game!
I think if you were to attend all the time the novelty would wear out...this was a fun night out for us.

Chinese New Year...Year of the Golden Boar (Pig)

Well...my lanterns and my red lights were up...hopefully no one complains...they are not Christmas lights but my Chinese New Year lights!

We had a lovely New Year's Eve feast...Connie and Peter (yes, Peter came over with 2 awesome bottles of red wine), Michael and Sophia (now they are back together), Alicia, Christina and Luis, and Caiti (she came home as a surprise for New Years and we picked her up at the Greyhound Bus Station at 1pm).
I cooked a lovely pot of lamb curry, vegetable fried rice, rice noodles and we had vegetables and dip, chinese new year treats...Connie brought Alicia's birthday cake from Dairy Queen for dessert. It was a lovely evening...and yes...I did get my main floor in Chinese New Year shape...so the hope is for a good year ahead with some positive changes!!
Called home and lucky to find my Mum and dad at home to wish them a Kung Hei Fatt Choy!

Helga's Induction into the Burnaby Hall of Fame!

This has been a super busy week...
On Thursday night, Darcy and I (plus all of Helga's family and friends...we took up 3 full tables) went to cheer Helga on as she was inducted in the Builder category for the Burnaby Hall of Fame. It was held at the Firefighter's Banquet Hall in Metrotown.
It was a splendid evening. Food for a buffet was excellent. Wine on the table had special personalised labels with Helga's name on it.

I had bought a large card and everyone from the gym had signed it and bought a bouquet of flowers from our Board of Directors....she was very pleased.
She gave a perfectly wonderful heart-felt speech when she received her Award which was so-Helga-like.
She deserved this tribute and she is another person who has been such a mentor and such a person of worth in my life. Her kindness, her dedication, her commitment to the things she believes in...and most of her strong love and care of children, people...her friends and her family. Both grand-kids came and they were so well-behaved and so good at their Oma's big night!~

Becky's Celebration of Life

On Friday, Darcy and I attended Becky's Celebration of Life at the Burquitlam chapel. It was standing room and as part of the overflow we had to go around to the side of the chapel. It was good because we could view the pulpit clearly and listen well to the tributes. It was a perfect service with the songs that truly captured Becky's spirit...her kindness, her zest for life and her talents. Joan's husband spoke and then there was an open mike for people to express their feelings. Tom and Heather both came up and there were both eloquent and true to who Becky was. Tom's was hilarious and Heather's was emotional and sweet. They had a reception over at John and Becky's lovely home on the alderside waterfront but I could not go as I was slated back to work at Dogwood for the Valentine's Dinner Dance (food was excellent but the young music DJ was a flop...played lousy songs and had NO personality).

It is almost surreal that Becky is gone because I can see her face and hear her voice yet in her mind as she says "Hi sweetie, you doing ok?". She was so wonderful when I told her about what had happened to the girls and when we were going through that crazy rough time with Chrissy and when I was going going that work turmoil a year ago she was so supportive and reassuring that I was better off leaving and working somewhere else...she was absolutely right!!!

The world has lost one elegant, gracious, talented and true soul...we will miss her so much. She has given the legacy of the Craft Fair to Sam and Steph...and I know that this first one without her will be done in her memory and it will be a great one so that she can from up above know that things are going well.

A very sad and emotional day...

Without saying too much...a very dear person at work passed away last night. I talked about Becky the Queen of Crafts...a Port Moody legend in her own right ...well she lost her battle with cancer and just like that she is lost to us. As her dear friend Joan put it..gone to re-organize heaven. It was a very sad day for us...it was tough to work and not get teary-eyed. Cancer is such a disease...takes away all the best people in the world. Will write more when I can...just home from Wings and too exhausted from this emotional day too think too deeply...but all I know is the sadness that engulfs the soul and the mind.

Chrissy gets her "N"!

She came prancing into Dogwood with the biggest smile on her face...and everyone cheered for her. Sharon and Raye were on hand to offer her congratulations. It has been a long time since she has had such joy. Apprarently she did very well and although she was so anxious the night before and said that she was very nervous, she did complete the whole testing with no errors. So of course she drover herself back to school. She picked me up from work and then we drove to Wings and then home after. Caiti also called and they had a nice chat about this wonderful accomplishment. Paying for Bestway was expensive but in the long run it was worth it and taught her valuable skills that she would not have got from Darcy alone.

Caiti had 2 patients die....went to her practicum to find that she could not complete her patient care report because they had passed away in the week she did not see them. She sad it was a little sad but they have done all the theory on how to deal with patient loss. She is really quite into her medical studies and talks more and more about her areas of interest. It is great that she feels she has made the right choice for herself...for this moment anyway.

As for me...busy week taking on some of Judy's work...had a 2 hour bus trip committee meeting and it was awesome because it was back to doing the work I did way back when at Pinetree for Helga! I must say though I am looking forward to the weekend.

Chinese New Year Coming up...

Very exciting...today I went shopping for groceries at the T & T Asian Market...love that place. I can come out with meat and vegetables and everything I need...bags and bags for less than $50.00 and I am not kidding, for the whole week!! Gearing up to Chinese New Year on Feb 18. The store is decorated with lanterns and it's very festive and incredibly busy! Chrissy wants Curry laksa so just ran in to get the ingredients for her curry noodle-fest.
The rains have come back. However, I was up bright and early so Speedo and I went for a 110 minute walk up to Glenayre, to the off-leash at Westhill and back. After being 4 days of being sick...he was squidgey-diarhea boy for a few days, he was so happy to be out and about for a long walkie. I like going out for a long walk...lots of time to listen to music and to think. When I got back everyone was still snoring away especially Chrissy and Alicia who were playing Nintendo all night it seems.
I brought home a whole list of work to do at home...we have no plans for anything else anyway...
Darcy is just about ready to start blasting the job market with his spiffed up resume...i think its been excellent having a counsellor go through it with a fine tooth-comb in his search for a new career.

You don't know when your time is up

We are so consumed with not so great health-related news at work like our dear Crafty Queen Becky who has had cancer revisit her again...and now another full-of-life person Mary in bookings who has discovered that her heart is not pumping blood to the full capacity. Life just dishes out so much crap sometimes!!
I should be thankful that health is still good for us all...except that Darcy could be better but he needs to work on losing some weight and eating less of the good food that we do serve.
But back to Becky...if someone can warm your heart and be the quintessential person of inspiration and kindness, I think she wins. Her craftiness is phenomenal...I think Kari and I were undoubtedly inspired by her when we embarked on our Crafty Neighbours adventure. Becky is an icon in Port Moody of beautiful, quality country crafts! She has battled so many variations of cancer but this time we sort of know that it will catch up to her...it is sad :( but she has so much love from so many whose lives have been touched by her.
Health...so critical as it determines the quality of today and tomorrow for us all...so important to maintain a lifestyle that keeps us healthy in body, mind and spirt...comes back to working on my personal goals. With mum being a cancer survivor, I guess I am considered at risk...well, Joanne drags me to my mammogram for the last 2 years and bribes me with all-you-can-eat sushi lunch so I should be thnakful for her doing that! Ah Mah died from late-onset diabetes and since I supposedly resemble her guess thats another notch against me...and there's heart disease with Dad having had his quadruple by-pass...goodness me...I really have alot of work for me to maintain disease-free! Caiti made me go to the Blood Pressure Clinic at Dogwood and according to it I am classified as high-normal...whatever that means.

The powers that be...

Raye at work came back from Winnipeg after a very busy week moving her mum into interim care because she seems to be suffering from disorientation and the onset of dementia. It was nice to be back at work with her...I really like her and she is going to be a Gramma for the first time in August which is exciting. Anyway...things are very busy at work and with all the new strategic alignment , big boss Jill, Karen and Judy are having more heaped on their plates. Judy has been asked to help out at the Sports Arena because our new Division Head Joyce was promoted from the arena manager and so now the current person covering needs help as he is completely overwhelmed with many new areas to look after. Big boss Jill had asked Raye to step in to assist Judy which means me stepping in to backfill Raye...but Raye being so sweet asked if I could do the backfill for Judy instead! Well...the reason why I left Community Services was the fact that I do not own a valid driver's license (like driving has any impact on the work that I do) so big boss Jill was not sure if HR would nix the idea and if there would be road blocks...anyway...HR said there was no issue if she was willing to waive the drivers license which she adamantly did...see...truth be known I was certainly not treated fairly in my previous job. Anyway...changes ahead and I am really quite excited about it...back to doing some programming also doing what I love now. Not that I don't love pretty much everything that I do. I have been so fortunate to have the support of so many like Heather in bookings as well....she has been so awesome and such a caring person who has had her share of trials and tribulations.
Someday I hope I get my permanent status doing what I think I do best...now of only Darcy can get back on his feet...life might have some glimmer of light!!!

The Struggle

I think my most challenging struggle and something I want to accomplish is weight-loss. I am back doing Weight-Watchers online again. I had gained back 10 pounds of the 30 pounds I had lost but now am mentally gearing myself up again to continue with the goal. I am not caring so much about being skinny (because I could wish my whole life away) but maintain healthy and be fit. So...I have been a little delinquent about Curves but that is partially due to work scheduling but the bike downstairs is not a clothes=hanger anymore and it is back to walking...walking...walking. Truth be told, I like counting points and making sure that I make pretty good choices most of the time! So...despite the stress which I wish could just melt the pounds away...the goal is to keep with the plan and stay OP (On Program) as much as I can!!!

Sunny Saturday!

Wow! I can't believe that I have not written on this blog for weeks. Probably because I have been working so much and trying to get through each day as it comes. I was so glad that today was a Saturday! It was also a very sunny day and Darcy and I were out and about early in the morning. Out of pure curiousity and because we know that it was we want to eventually do...we went to a Timeshare presentation downtown Vancouver...realizing that this is not the time to do it but we plan to in the future. We scored some Canucks tickets and we shall see if we get them or not. It was a very interesting morning...it was good to see what sort of vacations we can have in the near future.
We went down to English Bay for lunch at the Tanpopo sushi place. We rushed home because Sheba had a vet's appointment. She hurt her leg again at Buntzen Lake...we simply cannot afford the $1600 surgery at this point in time.
Rushing again all the way to the Percy Norman Pool for the Special Olympics Swim meet to volunteer our time...hoping that Chrissy will take up the offer to volunteer coach for them. Jim Lacroix was very welcoming and eager to have her!! So it was a piece of Flying Wedge Pizza on the way home...and such was this Sunny Saturday!!!

Another bump in the road...

Well...if we have not already endured enough. I love how God doesn't give you more than you can handle. Darcy is leaving Pacific Sunspots and leaving BCAA. The job stress has literally been slowly killing him and better now than a heart attack d0wn the line. He will go in next week to wrap up the negotiations on his severance package and then he will have some time to get healthy...re-group and then get back on this crazy hamster wheel of life. He needs to take the time and if he finds something sooner than the 6 months then we have a little windfall on our hands. I don't want to think of the worst case scenario...that is a little too scarey and anxiety-generating. We will take each day as it comes and do the best we can.
Caiti goes back to Kelowna tomorrow morning and then it will be back to the 3 of us and the menagerie of animals to manouver through life. We need someone to be shining a light on us and say...this family has gone through enough...give them a bloody break eh??

Back to Curves!

It felt really good to be back to Curves this evening. It really is a very quick and easy work-out too and I must make the effort to fulfil the minimum 3 times a week. It is always enjoyable going and chatting with Kari as we go around the circuit. Tonight, we discussed the merits of joining Weight-Watchers online.
Made yummy Lamb curry tonight to go with the roti that Caiti got from Tulsi...so authentically good! I have to work on Wednesday and Thursday night so no time to cook things Caiti wants to have before she goes back to school. Darcy made an extra tray of strawberry cheesecake for her to indulge in this week.
Anyway...last full day of bookings. Raye's mum is in the hospital so she is going home to Winnipeg next week so I shall be working fulltime for at least a week.
It certainly rained so heavily this morning. It was so dark out until later in the afternoon too.

The first day of 2007

Of course...its raining out. I can't remember what the weather was like the first day of 2006 but I am sure that it really doesn't matter because I won't remember what today was like next year.
I was very determined that I got all the Christmas decorations and the tree taken down as soon as I could this morning. It was one of those things that I felt just had to be done and it was actually invading my dreams all night.
Another blah New Year's Eve...what to expect. The girls were both out and of course we had soap opera again with Chrissy and her choices. They did both make it home which I should be thankful for. We had not that great Chinese Food but what can you expect from take-out on probably one of their busiest nights. This place, Lougheed Wonton moved from the North Road location up to St. John's Street in Port Moody so it was close by and well if you don't try you certainly don't know! Indigestion was almost a certainly even before the first mouthful.

What is happening today? At this point...no clue. The "bad me" is yearning for all-you-can-eat sushi but the "good me" is saying that would ruin all your points for today...yeah, yeah, yeah. It is going to be such a struggle to stay OP but I HAVE to do it or face feeling frustratedly frumpy forever (how do you like that use of alliteration!).

Resolutions?
To have a better, less stressful, more healthy year is probably on everyone's priority list. Somehow, I would like to figure out how to earn more money, and make a visit back home to see Mum and Dad. I wish Chrissy would cause me let's say even 50% less grief and anxiety and that Darcy would be a little less "at work" and be a little less difficult. Certainly, I will try to be less of a nag (but today on this first day I have already not done a great job in this area) and will let things go and not fixate on what I have no control over. I would like to have more "fun" time and enjoy things a little more without it being attached to eating more.

I hear lazy people finally stirring so I should head up and see what is in the "plan" for this first day of 2007.