Walk for Memories and Chinese New Year's Eve

Today was a beautiful day full of sunshine. It was chilly but it was refreshing and crisp. Darcy was attending the BSCCA Provincial Board meeting. Sheldon droves us down to the office for 11:00 a.m. so that we could meet up with Darcy. So we then drove down to meet up with everyone at the Stanley Park Pavilion. The first smiling and laughing person we met was Dennis Yoshioka who used to be with the Burnaby Barracudas. He was volunteering with the Alzheimer's Society. We heard that he may have been diagnosed with early stages. He was his usual jovial self. Darcy waited with Benny outside while Chrissy and I went in to register. We met up with everyone else with the Team Francine sign that Trish had made. It was an awesome turnout and you could not have had a nicer day for a 5km walk. I posted some photos on my facebook. On the global news at 6:00 p.m. it was so nice to see Sharon's Dad with the Team Francine sign and a chance to speak a little about her and the disease. There was even a shot of Darcy's big face and Chrissy's eyes in the frame in one of the walkby shots of the walk. It was great because on the PVR we could rewind and pause and watch this in slo-mo.
After the walk, we went for a Chinese New Year Eve family dinner at the On Lok Restaurant on East Hastings. We have not been to that place in years...as always...the food well...let's say...MSG thirst has set in now. The food was plentiful and it was the way Chinese New Year's Eve dinners should be...noisy, crazy, spilled tea and a nice way to end a very sad but yet wonderful day.
Now...time to lie on the couch...call home in a few minutes...I rolled my ankle on the walk...not badly as I could still walk but its a little inflamed at the moment.

President Obama

I wanted to make sure that I blogged on this day. I blew up red, white and blue balloons at work and we had an inauguration party in front of the TV at work today.

I think that today was historic...no matter how we put it today was insiprational and it was powerful and it was motivating. The challenges ahead are huge for President Obama...the expectations placed on him are enormous. Change will take time and I hope that he will persevere and I trust that he will get the support that he seeks from the people of America, from us the canadian neighbours and globally. He is human and he is far from being perfect but his integrity and his intelligence will serve him well. He has so many so-called things against him...immigrant father, middle class family, melting pot of family from Kenya, Indonesia ...I even found out that his half-sister's husband in a Malaysian-Chinese who grew up in Burlington, Ontario. He has worked hard, he has made his own way...he doesn't deny abusing drugs, alcohol in his younger days. He is just another man like all others...there is really nothing special except that his demeanour fills us with awe. These are tough times...there is no doubt...the economic downturn has huge impact and affects my own family daily. And his wife and his children..life in the white house will be an experience. Michelle Obama is a clever cookie herself...but I like how she chose to be different..fashion critics I hope are not harsh on her...she was unique in her non-partisan outfit and yes the bling might be a little gaudy but I love bling and I think on such a special day she should bling all she wants! The girls were dressed like all other girls in their best...there was nothing designer about them.
Yes...today was awsome and I wish I could have spent the whole day watching it on TV so I guess I am just thankful I watched him take the oath and give his speech.
The world is watching you President Obama...do your very best...fulfil the dreams, hopes and aspirations of your nation...they are counting on you.

Birthday and anniversary week

This was such a busy week...and I really needed to be banned from work yesterday...thank you Helga for knowing when I needed to really take a break. How to recap the past week?

Well, Helga found out on Saturday night that her mum in Germany had passed away...it was expected but when was the critical question. She won't be leaving until next week but it certainly through a wrench into things. However, having over 250 people coming to Glen Pine's 1st anniversary helped take her mind off things.
Yes, we celebrated Glen Pine's anniversary on Wednesday and the event went off extremely well. We were a little worked off our feet but all the VIPs and the members certainly enjoyed the afternoon of small speeches, presentations, great appetizers that were served to them at the table, coffee and awesome cake and also entertainment...so it was quite the party. That was a long day for me because I got to work at 8:00 a.m. and did not leave until 9:45 p.m. that evening. On this day too it was Chrissy's 19th birthday. We went upstairs bright and early to wake her before I left for work or else I would not see her until the end of the day. Turning 19 she was going to sign herself to join a new gym so we put together a work-out gear gift for her, and she also got a replacement tire from her pothole incident. She had a nice day home a little with Darcy, a day off work, then out for dinner with Sheldon and Jon, and then at the end of the evening on my way we stopped off to see her and Jon (and guess who shows up Luis) at the St. James Well and we had a drink with her. She received a few special gifts to celebrate this milestone birthday and she appreciated very much for their significance.

On Friday, it was Darcy's turn to celebrate his birthday...not yet a milestone birthday so it was very low key in light of our plight. I was banned from Glen Pine so I took advantage of a birthday gift certificate that I had received from all the wonderful people at work and we went out to Sushi Garden across the street from Metrotown for lunch. It was actually very good sushi, fresh, a nice portion so YUMMY! We didn't do much else but stop off and get the delayed birthday cake from DQ. We spent the afternoon watching a PBS version of Tess of the D'ubervilles that we had taped on the PVR (still have part 2 to go)...simply love the HD KCTS channel but then I am a sucker for public television so people can tease me all I want but masterpiece theatre rocks! After work for Chrissy we had her and Darcy's combined roast beef family dinner and Sheldon and Jon were over to enjoy that...Caiti was missing her favourite family dinner...but she had called Darcy earlier in the day and we got her update that she is enjoying working on the pediatric ward, and that for a month she will need to commute to Vernon Hospital. She is in the process of trying to secure herself a student loan just to cover the last year and a half she has since we are in no position to help out too much but just needing help with the last year and a half is good for a student since many need much more loan assistance than that...she has done well getting herself through nursing and with a job hopefully lined up upon graduation she will be able to work and save a little before she goes back to do her masters as she plans to do in nursing.
So...such was the week. It is actually sunny out this Saturday so we have a few errands to run and then free time for the rest of this weekend.

The week back at work

Ok...it was actually very good to be back at work...because I love my work and where I work. Seeing all the warm friendly faces and receiving all the "Happy New Year" wishes was certainly wonderful. It was nice to log back into into the computer there and I didn't even mind drilling down the cognos report to investigate why was I underspent on my bus trip budget...underspent and not over for once and even then I had to explain why! The only negative thing is we have some issues and some tension around us and not being able to write much more without having to get into a long drawn out soap opera....needless to say we have strife, and being by-standers caught in the middle is stressful especially when both sides are trying to draw you into the kerfuffle...there are two of us who are in the same boat who have found solace in our common plight.
Time to wrap my head around March/April and beyond for programs at Glen Pine. I want to find a Bollywood instructor...someone who can bring the bollywood music, teach some basic moves and just have a fun class. So if anyone has any connections, let me know.
On Wednesday, Jan 14 (also Chrissy's 19th b-day) we have our Glen Pine First Anniversary event...so we have gone full tilt planning and getting all the last minute details organized. New Mayor and Council and over 200 members coming out to celebrate with food and drink. Special events just run us off our feet...and it will be exhausting. Will write about it once its all over.
The rains came this week and has washed the snow but not all...what's left...giant potholes and that Chrissy and I had the misfortune to experience which has left her tire busted and a visit to Cal for help. It is still wet and slushy not matter where you are. More rains tonight and some glimmer of sun maybe on the weekend.
I am glad its Friday though...recap of the week complete I am home to lie on the couch and watch TV.

Another stormy evening

What a mess it is out there! Will the snow/slush ever stop? This is what real winter is like for the rest of Canada so we should just suck it up I guess! Darcy has the dogs out at the off-leash while waiting to pick Chrissy up from work at 6:00 p.m. and he just called to say it is utterly miserable outside...which means wet happy puppies traipsing through the house when they return. That little Bennie will be one drowned little rat!
I really didn't accomplish much today on my last day of vacation. Did some laundry, watched Kyle Kwong's My China marathon on the Food Network(how I love that TV channel!), then watched an action movie with Darcy. Boring but nice when the weather is so crummy.
Tomorrow, I really have to get on track with journalling my points and getting some more exercise in as I really fell off the wagon so badly in the past few months. With my potential glaucoma issue and my high blood pressure, I really need to get tested for diabetes but I am dreading doing so...I am convinced its inevitably going to get me if that makes any sense.
Anyway...off to check on dinner...imagine...burgers not cooked on the BBQ but in the frying pan...that means even Darcy has given it to the winter weather!

Francine's Celebration of Life

Of all days to snow...but it was extremely picturesque as we drove into Vancouver to attend the services for Sharon's mum Francine. We arrived around 1:30 p.m. and already the snow had been falling steadily so the side street by the church was quite covered....still unplowed with remnants of the previous snow falls. We arrived at the same time as Mimi and Patrick so it was nice to be seated with the "school clique" since we have gotten to know them all so well over the years. The Florians and the Murray's were seated closer to the family at the front of this beautiful Our Lady of Sorrows church on South Slocan. The church was still decked out with the Christmas trees and the poinsettias...very classy with white lights and the votive candles all lit.

Two days before her death, Francine requested that she be baptized, and Tino explained to us later during the reception how that can take place without even a priest present upon one's deathbed so that one's soul may go to God via a Catholic Memorial Mass. For Sharon, this was her mother's wish so it needed to be respected and carried forth and she was relieved that alot of the preparations were taken care of by her brother. Tino's sister Rosamaria being the Principal of the parish school enabled all of this to take place at such short notice. The service began with Chantelle singing "Amazing Grace" as the family entered and were seated in their pew. This was a shortened Catholic funeral mass and only lasted for just over an hour. Sean and Andre did a reading each - when you see all the cousins together you see how strongly they resemble each other. Chantelle and Ashley read the Prayer of the Faithful. Following the service, we went up and paid our respects to the family. This was very meaningful as it gave us a chance to extend our condolences even though I had already seen Sharon, her dad and Kim prior to this.
The Celebration of Life was in an adjoning hall down the way and it was so snowy getting across the way. The kids had done so much scanning/research and they presented an incredibly beautiful powerpoint tribute to their grandmother. Ashley and Sean took turns speaking, giving her Francine's biography and then they turned it over to the computer...opening with
"The Prayer" (love this song) and photo after photo we went through the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s as her life unfolded infront of us. The clothes, the hairstyles, the family as it grew, the friends, the life with her smiling face in the centre of each and every image. There was not a dry eye in the house...it was a phenomenal presentation that can be copied and saved for posterity.
The food that was catered was awesome...it would have made Francine so happy because she was the Queen of Parties, good food and wine, Sharon has followed in her footsteps. I had a couple of glasses of wine, one with Sharon at our table and we ended up staying until 6:00 p.m. with the usual crowd. It is too bad that sometimes it takes a sad occasion to see people that we should see more often like Sue/Mario, Tim/Tara, Trish/John from our Trivia fun...and Lisa/Greg. There was just so much food, incredible Italian deli style salads, meats, cheeses, and I didn't even get to desserts seeing how I am supposed to be back on track with my WW points.
It has been a big day for the Burke family and they have yet to have this all sink in, I think that they will congregate at the family home and regroup tonight. Karen is here for a week so the family can take advantage of being together (minus the Australian cousins) and find comfort now that this day is over. Tino had me aside again and he says that if he feels Sharon needs me, he will find a way of letting me know...I was very touched and the emotion caught me...I will always be there for anyone whenever and if ever they need me.
When you attend a funeral service or I would rather it be called a celebration of life...it makes you think and wonder about your own mortality and you question what in your life there is to celebrate...and how your passing will be recognized by your family and friends. At our table, we jokingly talked about what a mess our photo collections are and how would anyone find anything to put together as a presentation and what the heck would they say about us in our deaths. Perhaps, we need to start a file folder and start placing in photos that we wish to have people see because heaven forbid if a chubby one goes up there of me stuffing my face with Purdy's chocolates goes up!!!
Does your family intuitively know you so well that they can put together your life? I wonder when I go if from my vantage point I can look down and hear and see everything they are saying...or will it even matter? Will my family know that I love light pink roses and not hot pink ones? And if I should go when the Lilacs are in bloom I want bunches and bunches of Lilacs all around?
We are heading into a time now when we will be visiting death more...aging parents, parents of friends, and illness/disease striking when least expected. I don't often think of death but perhaps I need to ponder upon the concept more.
The snow continues to fall this Saturday evening...my last weekend before its back to work....I am ready to go back now and let 2009 unfold...and I pray that our life moves into a positive direction and let 2008 fall to the wayside. It was our 44th (bad luck!) year and now that I am 45 it can only get better.

Happy New Year 2009

Well, it snowed last night as 2009 came in...so how did we bring in the new year?
We had a dinner invite from Shannon as well as an invite for drinks with the Karen/Catherine crew for later in the evening but we took a rain (snow?)check on both. Chrissy and Sheldon had no plans and offered to buy us pizza so seeing how invites like this may become rare as Chrissy counts down to turning 19 in 2 weeks, we decided that we would take her up on her invitation. So we had a pizza feast (seeing also how its back to being on track), and we watched the Dick Clark countdown to New York time, and then we ordered a movie on the PPV - "Get Smart". We did make phone calls to family just at midnight. James had called earlier when he arrived back at YVR from Ottawa seeking directions back to Kelowna. So, it was a quiet evening at home which was much appreciated as it meant I changed from work clothes into jammies, ate pizza, drank Coke, and was home with family and doggies....no hangover not that I would have one anyway since drinking isn't really one of loves.
Over the night, our power must have gone out a few times in the night due to strong winds or snow on the powerlines. I was up bright and early. So, I undecorated the Christmas tree, hauled it out to the carport so that it can be recycled through tree-chipping. I vacuumed and put away all Christmas decorations. The only thing left is my poinsettia but its a plant and it can last for a while yet. I have my last few days off from work and then its back to normal on Monday, Jan 5 at work as we catch up and plan our Open House week and our 1st Anniversary celebration.
So...today, we attempt to get back on track with health/wellness etc. Somehow 2009 has to be a better year for us. Darcy has to get himself back on track. Caiti heads into the last half of year 3 and the end is in sight as she goes into fulltime school from now until she completes next year. Chrissy got her admission kerfuffle to Douglas due to the school's error with her transcript sorted out so expect that she will be back to school either this Spring or in September...she has her plan and with the whole turning 19 bit, her life choices are in her hands. For me, I want to go home to visit mum and dad, Jot and Terry...I have had to make the sacrifices all the time as to why we cannot afford the trip, when I didn't have a full-time position which I do now...so the deal is once Darcy is stable again, this trip is owing to me.
Time just has a way of whipping by and I really cannot believe that 2008 is over. It has been such a year of turmoil for us personally and now globally with the financial woes and the gloomy economic downturns. Retail at Christmas 2008 was very slow...well, we didn't have presents under our tree ourselves...only Chrissy bought a gift for each of us from her own income which was very generous and kind but that is her at her best - giving! On the good side, the USA has a new President, we have to figure out what is happening with our own Federal Govt. leadership, and then we head into a Provincial election in May. We have a new mayor in Coquitlam as "boss". The saddest part was the passing of Sharon's mum on Christmas day which really threw me into a bit of a loop as I contemplate what I would do if and when that dratted long distance phone call was to come. I need to get my passport woes resolved ASAP. We are joining "Team Francine" and doing the 5km Walk for Memories on Jan 25.
Today, we are having a ham for dinner and more more veggies.