Wow. Remembering to write in my blog seems to be more of a challenge than I thought. Time keeps passing by in the blink of an eye.
Which is a perfect lead in to my post today. My daughter. I now have an adult daughter! She turned 18 last week, and so many things have happened over the last few years in her life that it is amazing ONLY two years have passed.
She has not had a good time of it. She has struggled with adolescence. She has left home at a young age, moved back, and moved out again. She has seesawed on the issue of gender identity. She has fought the blackness and despair of drugs and alcohol. She has experienced the horrors of things other humans can do to other humans.
I am so proud of her. She has made some bad choices...everyone does. She has experienced a few years that would destroy pretty much anyone. But she is not destroyed.
My daughter made it to adulthood. She has clawed her way back onto the path of life. She has returned to the support and fellowship of a nice church group. She has taken herself for the help she needed, and no longer relies on the drugs and alcohol. She is finishing her school year on track, catching up in a slightly different way than usual, so that she should be able to graduate with her peers in the spring. She has a nice fellow who loves her and is helping her not to slip back into old habits. She has been working part-time and her manager says she is her best employee.
And in approximately 36 days, give or take a few weeks, she will have my first grandchild, who will be loved and cared for in a stable home, and of course will have many family members who will also love and help care for him.
She has come a long way. So much has happened in a mere 2 years. And that is just HER story.
Thursday, January 31, 2019
Thursday, January 17, 2019
A Bit of Catching Up
I think it is going to take awhile, and certainly a lot of "Oh yeah!" moments, over a number of blog entries to catch people up with the last two years. I am not even sure exactly where to start. There have been job changes, life changes, many, many events involving the children, trips...
Today, I think I will catch you all up on my (and my husband's) job changes. I am not sure if my husband still worked at the computer repair shop when I last posted. Due to some unfortunate events, he found himself unemployed. It took him awhile to find something new. When he did, it was a job from home. A call centre for Apple products. It was good, in the sense there was no commute, and that it was somewhat in his line of expertise. But then as time wore on, it was discovered that the company he was working for was severely flawed. After several paychecks that were severely lower than they should have been, due to their error, and on part due to their faulty equipment, he decided to cut his losses and again search for a new job, this time away from computers. Again it took a few months. EI was not available to him, do it was a rough ride until he ended up working with me. Six months of this, and he decided this was not the place for him, either.
This ended us in the biggest adventure yet. He went back to school. He spent three months away from home, studying to become an apprentice electrician. He passed his exams with flying colours, and even had a job lined up before the exams. He now works up north, four days a week, making more per hour than he ever did before. It has been quite an adjustment in the last four months, after having him home every night, first having him away for all but two weekends while at school, and then this past month of having him away four days, then home three. But he is doing well and enjoying the job, so we are adjusting...and if he is still there in a few years, once I am an empty nester, I will move up there. We choose not to uproot our son from his high school.
As for myself, I worked at my truck driving job until he went off to school. Then I had to change jobs because I wasn't making enough, not getting the hours I needed, being the sole provider during that time. I wish it had been possible to stay... now that he is in this job, I could have worked the hours now and had it be enough...but they have a policy to never rehire anyone. Too bad...I really liked that job and the people there.
So I took a job at McDonald's. I lasted the three months he was in school, and then quit. The stress was just too much. The hours were sufficient to help pay the bills, but the pace and some of the shifts wore me to the point of tears...not to mention the three times I burned my hand very badly with tea or coffee. It took three weeks to heal from the last time.
Now I am a bit of a freelancer...I make and sell bagels, baked goods, casseroles, and jams. I am the janitor at my church for a few hours each week. I am filling in for the church secretary while she is away. I mystery shop. And i have recently been taken on by a modeling agency. I hope to appear in a magazine, a flyer, on a bus or billboard, that sort of thing someday...but first I need to get some professional photos taken and start a portfolio, and study up on how to look and act like a model. The agency offers packages, but I can't afford them, so am trying to get all of this done on my own. If I can present them with impressive enough photos, they should be able to help me get the casting calls. Fingers crossed!
So as you can see, a lot has happened, just in the area of jobs! Maybe the next topic will be one of the children.
Today, I think I will catch you all up on my (and my husband's) job changes. I am not sure if my husband still worked at the computer repair shop when I last posted. Due to some unfortunate events, he found himself unemployed. It took him awhile to find something new. When he did, it was a job from home. A call centre for Apple products. It was good, in the sense there was no commute, and that it was somewhat in his line of expertise. But then as time wore on, it was discovered that the company he was working for was severely flawed. After several paychecks that were severely lower than they should have been, due to their error, and on part due to their faulty equipment, he decided to cut his losses and again search for a new job, this time away from computers. Again it took a few months. EI was not available to him, do it was a rough ride until he ended up working with me. Six months of this, and he decided this was not the place for him, either.
This ended us in the biggest adventure yet. He went back to school. He spent three months away from home, studying to become an apprentice electrician. He passed his exams with flying colours, and even had a job lined up before the exams. He now works up north, four days a week, making more per hour than he ever did before. It has been quite an adjustment in the last four months, after having him home every night, first having him away for all but two weekends while at school, and then this past month of having him away four days, then home three. But he is doing well and enjoying the job, so we are adjusting...and if he is still there in a few years, once I am an empty nester, I will move up there. We choose not to uproot our son from his high school.
As for myself, I worked at my truck driving job until he went off to school. Then I had to change jobs because I wasn't making enough, not getting the hours I needed, being the sole provider during that time. I wish it had been possible to stay... now that he is in this job, I could have worked the hours now and had it be enough...but they have a policy to never rehire anyone. Too bad...I really liked that job and the people there.
So I took a job at McDonald's. I lasted the three months he was in school, and then quit. The stress was just too much. The hours were sufficient to help pay the bills, but the pace and some of the shifts wore me to the point of tears...not to mention the three times I burned my hand very badly with tea or coffee. It took three weeks to heal from the last time.
Now I am a bit of a freelancer...I make and sell bagels, baked goods, casseroles, and jams. I am the janitor at my church for a few hours each week. I am filling in for the church secretary while she is away. I mystery shop. And i have recently been taken on by a modeling agency. I hope to appear in a magazine, a flyer, on a bus or billboard, that sort of thing someday...but first I need to get some professional photos taken and start a portfolio, and study up on how to look and act like a model. The agency offers packages, but I can't afford them, so am trying to get all of this done on my own. If I can present them with impressive enough photos, they should be able to help me get the casting calls. Fingers crossed!
So as you can see, a lot has happened, just in the area of jobs! Maybe the next topic will be one of the children.
Monday, January 14, 2019
Back in the Saddle
I can't believe it has been nearly two years since my last blog entry. So many things have happened, which I may or may not eventually tell about. It has been a rough two years, but I am still chugging along.
As I begin 2019, I am hoping to get back into writing in my blog. No promises, but I will certainly give it my best go...this year promises to contain many major events and possibly some exiting adventures, too.
One of the major events of this year will come to a head somewhere end of February to middle of March...my daughter is turning me into a grandmother. Part of me feels a bit young for this, but really, I am well old enough to be a grandmother. I am excited. I have my full gramma (or in my case, Nana) on...buying little baby things, making stuff, dreaming in the baby aisle...things like that.
Another big event will come in the summer...20 years of marriage. Hard to believe we have almost reached this milestone already! We will celebrate this momentous occasion with a Caribbean cruise. I am definitely looking forward to that. I do love my cruises!
I won't overwhelm everyone with my first post back. Just wanted to peek in and let everyone know I am back in the saddle and raring to go with this blog again. So hello to everyone, thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more ramblings. 😁
As I begin 2019, I am hoping to get back into writing in my blog. No promises, but I will certainly give it my best go...this year promises to contain many major events and possibly some exiting adventures, too.
One of the major events of this year will come to a head somewhere end of February to middle of March...my daughter is turning me into a grandmother. Part of me feels a bit young for this, but really, I am well old enough to be a grandmother. I am excited. I have my full gramma (or in my case, Nana) on...buying little baby things, making stuff, dreaming in the baby aisle...things like that.
Another big event will come in the summer...20 years of marriage. Hard to believe we have almost reached this milestone already! We will celebrate this momentous occasion with a Caribbean cruise. I am definitely looking forward to that. I do love my cruises!
I won't overwhelm everyone with my first post back. Just wanted to peek in and let everyone know I am back in the saddle and raring to go with this blog again. So hello to everyone, thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more ramblings. 😁
Saturday, January 28, 2017
I Am The Camel
It has been a long time since I posted, and for some reason, I really felt like sharing this with someone....but where? So I shall do it here.
I am sure you have heard the phrase "The straw that broke the camel's back". Today was that day. Funny thing is that I doubt anyone knew.
This weekend, I had a coaching session with my chorus. It involves a lot of standing, a lot of metal and vocal gymnastics. Sometimes a bit of physical gymnastics, with choreo, but not this time.
First of all, I will start by explaining that over the past while I have been very tired. All the time. And in pain. All. The. Time.
I had some blood tests done for an annual physical, and will get the results of those in a few days, and will mention this to my doctor, in the hopes that he can explain what is going on, and what to do about it.
So let's start with exhaustion and constant pain.
Add a bit of seasonal depression. Okay?
Now add to that the stress of a husband that has been coughing. Really hard. Hard enough to have passed out at least once. He has been coughing for over a month. He had a lump the size of a mandarin orange removed from his left lung in 2011, after months of coughing like this.
Let's look at our list...
Exhaustion
Pain
Depression
Stress about husband
Now, six months ago, my husband lost his job, and because of the circumstances behind it, we did not qualify for EI, and so I was the sole breadwinner for almost three months. I make a little over $12/hour and work part time, no benefits. He got a new job three months ago, but also is making a little over $12/hour, no benefits. Not a lot of income, and the job market is not good. So money is super tight.
Exhaustion
Pain
Depression
Stress about husband
Stress about finances
NOW...on to today. At the coaching session, we were working on our competition songs, and there was one note that for some reason was just not coming out right. That is to say, for some reason, I was singing a wrong note. Every. Single. Try. The coach was getting frustrated. The director was getting frustrated. *I* was frustrated. Now, usually, if something like that were to happen, my internal dialogue would be something like "Okay, you know this! Relax, breathe, you got this." And then I would usually be able to get the note. Nope. Today my internal dialogue was not nice. It had fangs.
Exhaustion
Pain
Depression
Stress about husband
Stress about finances
Frustration over a musical note
I became like a cartoon character...you know what I mean...a tear starts to leak out, they manage to suck it back into the tear duct.
Then we started working on breath marks. I was having a horrible time with breath support...could not for the life of me make my breath last to the right breathing spot. I was frustrated. Coach or director, I don't remember who, made a comment like "You guys can do this, it's not that hard, just use your breath support"...nothing mean, wrong, incorrect...she was right. We know this stuff, we know how to stretch our breath. Perhaps it was the pain and exhaustion, but I just had no breath. None. And that wonderful internal dialogue was now screaming at me. You know, the kind of internal dialogue that tells you what a failure you are?
Exhaustion
Pain
Depression
Stress about husband
Stress about finances
Frustration over a musical note
Frustration over lack of sufficient air
Internal dialogue
*CRACK!!!*
There was that straw.
I quietly stepped off the risers, surreptitiously wiping away a tear, walked into the bathroom, and sobbed for a good five minutes about how hard it was to just LIFE at that particular moment.
Eventually I got myself under control, back together, and back on the risers, and despite the pounding headache that came from the crying, I did feel better. I curled up in a corner for about 20 minutes over lunch break, with my eyes closed. Never actually slept, but kind of shut the world out for a bit.
Nothing really changed after that, but I do think that hard cry helped level me off again, and my chorus is awesome and hilarious as anything, so the afternoon went much better, with even quite a few instances of laughing my head off with everyone else.
I have no idea if I really have a point here. Maybe just telling my story in case someone else has an experience like mine where they just lose it over something that seems so small, and haven't realized that it built up from a multitude of things instead of that one, little thing.
And that is my story about the day I was a camel.
I am sure you have heard the phrase "The straw that broke the camel's back". Today was that day. Funny thing is that I doubt anyone knew.
This weekend, I had a coaching session with my chorus. It involves a lot of standing, a lot of metal and vocal gymnastics. Sometimes a bit of physical gymnastics, with choreo, but not this time.
First of all, I will start by explaining that over the past while I have been very tired. All the time. And in pain. All. The. Time.
I had some blood tests done for an annual physical, and will get the results of those in a few days, and will mention this to my doctor, in the hopes that he can explain what is going on, and what to do about it.
So let's start with exhaustion and constant pain.
Add a bit of seasonal depression. Okay?
Now add to that the stress of a husband that has been coughing. Really hard. Hard enough to have passed out at least once. He has been coughing for over a month. He had a lump the size of a mandarin orange removed from his left lung in 2011, after months of coughing like this.
Let's look at our list...
Exhaustion
Pain
Depression
Stress about husband
Now, six months ago, my husband lost his job, and because of the circumstances behind it, we did not qualify for EI, and so I was the sole breadwinner for almost three months. I make a little over $12/hour and work part time, no benefits. He got a new job three months ago, but also is making a little over $12/hour, no benefits. Not a lot of income, and the job market is not good. So money is super tight.
Exhaustion
Pain
Depression
Stress about husband
Stress about finances
NOW...on to today. At the coaching session, we were working on our competition songs, and there was one note that for some reason was just not coming out right. That is to say, for some reason, I was singing a wrong note. Every. Single. Try. The coach was getting frustrated. The director was getting frustrated. *I* was frustrated. Now, usually, if something like that were to happen, my internal dialogue would be something like "Okay, you know this! Relax, breathe, you got this." And then I would usually be able to get the note. Nope. Today my internal dialogue was not nice. It had fangs.
Exhaustion
Pain
Depression
Stress about husband
Stress about finances
Frustration over a musical note
I became like a cartoon character...you know what I mean...a tear starts to leak out, they manage to suck it back into the tear duct.
Then we started working on breath marks. I was having a horrible time with breath support...could not for the life of me make my breath last to the right breathing spot. I was frustrated. Coach or director, I don't remember who, made a comment like "You guys can do this, it's not that hard, just use your breath support"...nothing mean, wrong, incorrect...she was right. We know this stuff, we know how to stretch our breath. Perhaps it was the pain and exhaustion, but I just had no breath. None. And that wonderful internal dialogue was now screaming at me. You know, the kind of internal dialogue that tells you what a failure you are?
Exhaustion
Pain
Depression
Stress about husband
Stress about finances
Frustration over a musical note
Frustration over lack of sufficient air
Internal dialogue
*CRACK!!!*
There was that straw.
I quietly stepped off the risers, surreptitiously wiping away a tear, walked into the bathroom, and sobbed for a good five minutes about how hard it was to just LIFE at that particular moment.
Eventually I got myself under control, back together, and back on the risers, and despite the pounding headache that came from the crying, I did feel better. I curled up in a corner for about 20 minutes over lunch break, with my eyes closed. Never actually slept, but kind of shut the world out for a bit.
Nothing really changed after that, but I do think that hard cry helped level me off again, and my chorus is awesome and hilarious as anything, so the afternoon went much better, with even quite a few instances of laughing my head off with everyone else.
I have no idea if I really have a point here. Maybe just telling my story in case someone else has an experience like mine where they just lose it over something that seems so small, and haven't realized that it built up from a multitude of things instead of that one, little thing.
And that is my story about the day I was a camel.
Monday, August 31, 2015
North To Alaska
Just got back from our family vacation to Alaska and everyone is clamouring to hear how it went.
Happily, I have this habit of writing a journal on trips like this, so I will type out this journal here for all of you waiting for details.
Be warned it is a little disjointed....that is what you get when you are having fun on vacation.
AUGUST 22, 2015-Our first day of traveling was long. We made it to Seattle, to the hotel around 11 PM. Midnight home time. We were all very tired and cranky. We drove to the airport parking, took the shuttle to the airport, checked in, and hung out at the lounge. Great food, great soft chairs, and even computers.
Flew to Vancouver with no issues. Two sky trains to the Amtrak station.
Five hour ride on the train. It started very, very slowly, but once we crossed the border, it sped up a lot. The scenery was quite interesting until the sun went down.
A quick taxi ride and straight to bed with the A/C going. We all slept well.
Today we had a nice big breakfast at the hotel. Holiday Inn Express is good for that.
Off to the EMP museum. Took pictures of the cool architecture and the Space Needle. Tried finding a geocache but no luck. Maybe we can find something tomorrow morning.
The museum was really cool. Got some good pictures. Tried to go to Pike Place Market, but the crowds and prices were NUTS!!! $10 for 4 apples!
We ate lunch at a grill a few blocks away instead. It was nice...cool, dim, and I had fish and chips with a peanut coleslaw.
Went to a mall, then relaxed at the hotel for a bit.
The boys went to a Mariners game, and the girls went to Jurassic World. Good movie. Freaky. U.S. snacks are HUGE!!!
Spent a bit of my money. Bought a storm trooper T-shirt, Darth Vader keychain, an EMP pin, a colouring book, and pencil crayons.
Had a huge headache all day, but bought ibuprofen in the bathroom at the theatre and feel MUCH better.
Thought I lost my wallet, but it was in my jacket pocket the whole time.
AUGUST 23, 2015- Ruby Princess is big...not as big as Freedom of the Seas, but big enough. Still very lost. A bit rough seas tonight.
Never did manage to find a Seattle geocache...too many muggles.
Got on the ship, got our room keys, and headed to the buffet. My son lost his key in the 30-second walk from the table to the buffet.
The food is good, and so is the staff. Very attentive.
For supper, I had artichoke bisque, a roll and a breadstick, rice and vegetables with crawfish in a tomato sauce, and a chocolate hazelnut souffle with an amaretto sauce.
My drink package allowed me today to have 2 Coke, a gingerale, a virgin pina colada, and a virgin strawberry daquiri.
Watched a comedian, stood out on the deck after, and then watched a woman spend at least $40 trying to win an adult arcade game, to no avail.
At the shop, I bought a Ruby Princess pin, a Skagway pin, a Ketchikan pin, and a Ruby Princess keychain.
Bedtime snack at 10PM ended up more like another meal. Oh well.
AUGUST 24, 2015-After a bumpy night on the high seas, we got up and had a nice breakfast at the buffet. Ate such things as smoked gouda, smoked salmon, biscuits and gravy. Very nice.
Kids headed off to their youth programs. I wandered the ship, played mini golf, watched a movie by the pool. I took pictures and a few videos of the massive swells and the subsequent waves in the pool.
Hubby took a penny whistle class. Had a pub lunch with him and Son. Fish and chips with mushy peas.
Joined the Pop Choir. I have a solo in Doe A Deer. Eek!
Bought a T-shirt of the Inside Passage today.
Son saw a pod of whales by the ship this evening. I am jealous! All I have seen so far is little jellyfish and one eagle.
The sea has calmed down a lot, thankfully.
Formal night tonight. Wore my long yellow dress and sparkly jewellery. Ate duck terrine, porcini cappuccino soup, veal ravioli, salmon, a blueberry mojito sorbet, and a raspberry chocolate mousse heart.
Had another bedtime snack with Son. Didn't need one- supper was at 8:30PM.
AUGUST 25, 2015- Since I wanted to keep track, yesterday I got a Coke and a virgin drink at the bar, and today I got a Coke and a virgin strawberry daquiri.
Up at 7:30. Ate at the buffet. Ketchikan was beautiful.
Shopped on the dock...2 T-shirts, a Christmas decoration, and a pair of earrings.
The lumberjack show was cool. They sat us on the side cheering for the U.S., but we cheered for Canada instead. (Author note: And for screaming really, really loud, Son got a postcard signed by ALL the lumberjacks)
Ate too much, as always. Supper was a goat cheese souffle, ginger lemon orange sorbet, lamb, veal, and chicken skewers with potato croquettes and spinach, a french vanilla creme brulee, and a trio of mini desserts (raspberry panna cotta, apple crumble, and a chocolate mousse...thing).
Had Pop Choir practice and saw the evening music show and watched the 2015 Cinderella.
Sat by the pool when Son was swimming and sat in the hot tub, too.
Saw 3 or 4 humpback whales today. Very cool. The just spouted and came up a tiny bit, but it was something anyway. Early morning tomorrow to try to see more in Tracy Arm Fjord.
AUGUST 26, 2015- Well, Tracy Arm never happened, thanks to a medical emergency. So we arrived in Juneau almost 5 hours early. I got to see a few whales though. Too bad I couldn't get good pictures.
After Pop Choir, we ate and then left the ship. I had issues with my card both ways. Hopefully it is fixed for tomorrow.
Took a taxi to the Mendenhall Glacier and a gold mine. $130. Nice guy, though.
Saw a black bear run across the road in front of us. Also saw an eagle in a tree.
Bought a Del Sol T- shirt, a Juneau pin, a bandana...I think that was it.
Vegging this evening because everyone is so tired. Hope I sleep well tonight since I have had heartburn for 3 days and nights now.
Supper was shrimp cocktail, a salad, fettucini alfredo, a bun, and creme brulee. And a virgin pina colada.
AUGUST 27, 2015-Today we landed at Skagway. Rented a car and drove out to Carcross (Yukon Territory). It was raining, so part of the way was nearly zero visibility on the mountains. A bit stressful to say the least. The bits we COULD see were gorgeous.
Stopped at a little glacier fed lake. Felt the water and tasted it too. So good and clean!
Caribou Crossing was nice. Goats, ponies, chickens, alpacas, horse, donkeys, a mule, and lots of huskies.
We held a puppy. It was so sweet and so tired.
Nice museum there, too. Bought a pin. Ate BBQ chicken, potato, a bun, coleslaw, and homemade donuts with hot tea.
Stopped at the Carcross Desert on the way back. Interesting place. Lots of sand.
Son bought another matryoshka for a good deal less today. (Author note: he had bought one the day before...the first set was three cats, this one was five girls)
King crab lags for supper. Ate way too many. Got an anniversary cake piece.
Watched the illusionist then part of Tomorrowland before bedtime snack with Son. Had venison tonight. Not bad.
Hot chocolate and a virgin pina colada on the card today.
AUGUST 28, 2015- Today we all slept in. The kids slept in a whole bunch.
Ate lunch in the dining room. Had clam chowder and eggs benedict. Played the slots a bit. Lost all I played. Got 2 tokens I will keep as souvenirs.
Supper at the Crab Shack was good. The crab anyway. Did not like the crawfish.
The sea is extremely bumpy and choppy today. Nobody can walk straight or stand still. A combination of too much food and the sea made me feel awfully sick this evening.
Went to a music and dance show with Son, then to the buffet for a chocolate tapioca and a peppermint tea.
My card got me a Coke and a no-jito today.
AUGUST 29, 2015- Last full day on the ship. In some ways I want to stay. In others I am ready to be home. I miss my bed, my pets, and my own cooking.
Today was the performance of the Pop Choir. It went really well, AND it was John's birthday (the director), so we surprised him by singing Happy Birthday at the end of our set. He was so happy he cried.
We all got souvenir pins for being in the choir. Very cool.
Said goodbye to Ion in the dining room (Amazing, wonderful, funny Romanian). We will miss him. He was an amazing head waiter.
Victoria was okay. A bit away from the good shopping, but we did manage to get to the Empress. Good memories.
Used the card today for 2 Cokes and a virgin pina colada.
The magnetic stripe died because my key card was near my magnetic phone case, so Hubby and Daughter had to let me into the room for the rest of the trip.
The waves were really bad today, so we bopped around A LOT! (Author: It turns out there was an awful storm in Vancouver the night before, and then a big storm out by Hawaii, so we were catching the dreadful swells from those two)
Saw a whale at breakfast, slapping its tail at us.
AUGUST 30, 2015- Off the ship this morning. had to be out of our room by 8AM, but were not scheduled to be let off the ship until 10. Had a hearty, drawn out breakfast at the buffet, wandered around awhile, then finally just settled into the lounge we were to leave from. Everyone else snoozed while I coloured in my colouring book. We ended up being let off at around 9:30, and then stood waiting for our shuttle bus until 10:30. But it was a nice morning.
Took the bus from the ship to a casino near the Vancouver airport, took a skytrain to the airport, checked in, and hung out at the lounge. They had pasta and cold cuts and cheese and all sorts of nice stuff to eat. I ate some, but as we waited at the gate for our flight to board, I slipped off and grabbed a guacamole burger from Carl's Jr to take on the plane. Yum!
A bit of turbulence on the plane, but after the up and down we went through on the ship, we could handle anything. After hitting a big bump in the air, I jokingly told Daughter we had just run into a sky whale. :)
Arrived in Edmonton, got our stuff, called the shuttle, and rode back to the van. Discovered a low tire. Drove a block to the gas station and filled it up. We will see if that fixes it, or if I am talking to the lovely people at Kaltire in the morning.
Home at about 10PM. Everyone is just beat. Glad to be home again. It was a good trip. Next cruise: 2019. Destination: Unknown.
Happily, I have this habit of writing a journal on trips like this, so I will type out this journal here for all of you waiting for details.
Be warned it is a little disjointed....that is what you get when you are having fun on vacation.
AUGUST 22, 2015-Our first day of traveling was long. We made it to Seattle, to the hotel around 11 PM. Midnight home time. We were all very tired and cranky. We drove to the airport parking, took the shuttle to the airport, checked in, and hung out at the lounge. Great food, great soft chairs, and even computers.
Flew to Vancouver with no issues. Two sky trains to the Amtrak station.
Five hour ride on the train. It started very, very slowly, but once we crossed the border, it sped up a lot. The scenery was quite interesting until the sun went down.
A quick taxi ride and straight to bed with the A/C going. We all slept well.
Today we had a nice big breakfast at the hotel. Holiday Inn Express is good for that.
Off to the EMP museum. Took pictures of the cool architecture and the Space Needle. Tried finding a geocache but no luck. Maybe we can find something tomorrow morning.
The museum was really cool. Got some good pictures. Tried to go to Pike Place Market, but the crowds and prices were NUTS!!! $10 for 4 apples!
We ate lunch at a grill a few blocks away instead. It was nice...cool, dim, and I had fish and chips with a peanut coleslaw.
Went to a mall, then relaxed at the hotel for a bit.
The boys went to a Mariners game, and the girls went to Jurassic World. Good movie. Freaky. U.S. snacks are HUGE!!!
Spent a bit of my money. Bought a storm trooper T-shirt, Darth Vader keychain, an EMP pin, a colouring book, and pencil crayons.
Had a huge headache all day, but bought ibuprofen in the bathroom at the theatre and feel MUCH better.
Thought I lost my wallet, but it was in my jacket pocket the whole time.
AUGUST 23, 2015- Ruby Princess is big...not as big as Freedom of the Seas, but big enough. Still very lost. A bit rough seas tonight.
Never did manage to find a Seattle geocache...too many muggles.
Got on the ship, got our room keys, and headed to the buffet. My son lost his key in the 30-second walk from the table to the buffet.
The food is good, and so is the staff. Very attentive.
For supper, I had artichoke bisque, a roll and a breadstick, rice and vegetables with crawfish in a tomato sauce, and a chocolate hazelnut souffle with an amaretto sauce.
My drink package allowed me today to have 2 Coke, a gingerale, a virgin pina colada, and a virgin strawberry daquiri.
Watched a comedian, stood out on the deck after, and then watched a woman spend at least $40 trying to win an adult arcade game, to no avail.
At the shop, I bought a Ruby Princess pin, a Skagway pin, a Ketchikan pin, and a Ruby Princess keychain.
Bedtime snack at 10PM ended up more like another meal. Oh well.
AUGUST 24, 2015-After a bumpy night on the high seas, we got up and had a nice breakfast at the buffet. Ate such things as smoked gouda, smoked salmon, biscuits and gravy. Very nice.
Kids headed off to their youth programs. I wandered the ship, played mini golf, watched a movie by the pool. I took pictures and a few videos of the massive swells and the subsequent waves in the pool.
Hubby took a penny whistle class. Had a pub lunch with him and Son. Fish and chips with mushy peas.
Joined the Pop Choir. I have a solo in Doe A Deer. Eek!
Bought a T-shirt of the Inside Passage today.
Son saw a pod of whales by the ship this evening. I am jealous! All I have seen so far is little jellyfish and one eagle.
The sea has calmed down a lot, thankfully.
Formal night tonight. Wore my long yellow dress and sparkly jewellery. Ate duck terrine, porcini cappuccino soup, veal ravioli, salmon, a blueberry mojito sorbet, and a raspberry chocolate mousse heart.
Had another bedtime snack with Son. Didn't need one- supper was at 8:30PM.
AUGUST 25, 2015- Since I wanted to keep track, yesterday I got a Coke and a virgin drink at the bar, and today I got a Coke and a virgin strawberry daquiri.
Up at 7:30. Ate at the buffet. Ketchikan was beautiful.
Shopped on the dock...2 T-shirts, a Christmas decoration, and a pair of earrings.
The lumberjack show was cool. They sat us on the side cheering for the U.S., but we cheered for Canada instead. (Author note: And for screaming really, really loud, Son got a postcard signed by ALL the lumberjacks)
Ate too much, as always. Supper was a goat cheese souffle, ginger lemon orange sorbet, lamb, veal, and chicken skewers with potato croquettes and spinach, a french vanilla creme brulee, and a trio of mini desserts (raspberry panna cotta, apple crumble, and a chocolate mousse...thing).
Had Pop Choir practice and saw the evening music show and watched the 2015 Cinderella.
Sat by the pool when Son was swimming and sat in the hot tub, too.
Saw 3 or 4 humpback whales today. Very cool. The just spouted and came up a tiny bit, but it was something anyway. Early morning tomorrow to try to see more in Tracy Arm Fjord.
AUGUST 26, 2015- Well, Tracy Arm never happened, thanks to a medical emergency. So we arrived in Juneau almost 5 hours early. I got to see a few whales though. Too bad I couldn't get good pictures.
After Pop Choir, we ate and then left the ship. I had issues with my card both ways. Hopefully it is fixed for tomorrow.
Took a taxi to the Mendenhall Glacier and a gold mine. $130. Nice guy, though.
Saw a black bear run across the road in front of us. Also saw an eagle in a tree.
Bought a Del Sol T- shirt, a Juneau pin, a bandana...I think that was it.
Vegging this evening because everyone is so tired. Hope I sleep well tonight since I have had heartburn for 3 days and nights now.
Supper was shrimp cocktail, a salad, fettucini alfredo, a bun, and creme brulee. And a virgin pina colada.
AUGUST 27, 2015-Today we landed at Skagway. Rented a car and drove out to Carcross (Yukon Territory). It was raining, so part of the way was nearly zero visibility on the mountains. A bit stressful to say the least. The bits we COULD see were gorgeous.
Stopped at a little glacier fed lake. Felt the water and tasted it too. So good and clean!
Caribou Crossing was nice. Goats, ponies, chickens, alpacas, horse, donkeys, a mule, and lots of huskies.
We held a puppy. It was so sweet and so tired.
Nice museum there, too. Bought a pin. Ate BBQ chicken, potato, a bun, coleslaw, and homemade donuts with hot tea.
Stopped at the Carcross Desert on the way back. Interesting place. Lots of sand.
Son bought another matryoshka for a good deal less today. (Author note: he had bought one the day before...the first set was three cats, this one was five girls)
King crab lags for supper. Ate way too many. Got an anniversary cake piece.
Watched the illusionist then part of Tomorrowland before bedtime snack with Son. Had venison tonight. Not bad.
Hot chocolate and a virgin pina colada on the card today.
AUGUST 28, 2015- Today we all slept in. The kids slept in a whole bunch.
Ate lunch in the dining room. Had clam chowder and eggs benedict. Played the slots a bit. Lost all I played. Got 2 tokens I will keep as souvenirs.
Supper at the Crab Shack was good. The crab anyway. Did not like the crawfish.
The sea is extremely bumpy and choppy today. Nobody can walk straight or stand still. A combination of too much food and the sea made me feel awfully sick this evening.
Went to a music and dance show with Son, then to the buffet for a chocolate tapioca and a peppermint tea.
My card got me a Coke and a no-jito today.
AUGUST 29, 2015- Last full day on the ship. In some ways I want to stay. In others I am ready to be home. I miss my bed, my pets, and my own cooking.
Today was the performance of the Pop Choir. It went really well, AND it was John's birthday (the director), so we surprised him by singing Happy Birthday at the end of our set. He was so happy he cried.
We all got souvenir pins for being in the choir. Very cool.
Said goodbye to Ion in the dining room (Amazing, wonderful, funny Romanian). We will miss him. He was an amazing head waiter.
Victoria was okay. A bit away from the good shopping, but we did manage to get to the Empress. Good memories.
Used the card today for 2 Cokes and a virgin pina colada.
The magnetic stripe died because my key card was near my magnetic phone case, so Hubby and Daughter had to let me into the room for the rest of the trip.
The waves were really bad today, so we bopped around A LOT! (Author: It turns out there was an awful storm in Vancouver the night before, and then a big storm out by Hawaii, so we were catching the dreadful swells from those two)
Saw a whale at breakfast, slapping its tail at us.
AUGUST 30, 2015- Off the ship this morning. had to be out of our room by 8AM, but were not scheduled to be let off the ship until 10. Had a hearty, drawn out breakfast at the buffet, wandered around awhile, then finally just settled into the lounge we were to leave from. Everyone else snoozed while I coloured in my colouring book. We ended up being let off at around 9:30, and then stood waiting for our shuttle bus until 10:30. But it was a nice morning.
Took the bus from the ship to a casino near the Vancouver airport, took a skytrain to the airport, checked in, and hung out at the lounge. They had pasta and cold cuts and cheese and all sorts of nice stuff to eat. I ate some, but as we waited at the gate for our flight to board, I slipped off and grabbed a guacamole burger from Carl's Jr to take on the plane. Yum!
A bit of turbulence on the plane, but after the up and down we went through on the ship, we could handle anything. After hitting a big bump in the air, I jokingly told Daughter we had just run into a sky whale. :)
Arrived in Edmonton, got our stuff, called the shuttle, and rode back to the van. Discovered a low tire. Drove a block to the gas station and filled it up. We will see if that fixes it, or if I am talking to the lovely people at Kaltire in the morning.
Home at about 10PM. Everyone is just beat. Glad to be home again. It was a good trip. Next cruise: 2019. Destination: Unknown.
Sunday, August 16, 2015
A Year And A Bit Older, But Probably Not Wiser
Wow. One year, four months, and six days since my last post.
This blog thing certainly has not been a priority. Now that my friend has started her own blog, having moved overseas, maybe I will get back into the swing of things myself.
So what can I update my tiny group of followers on? Hmmm
Well, it has certainly been a year of changes. I spent a few months just being a stay-at-home mom again, unpacking, getting used to the community and all, then figured it was probably time to get cracking and back into the workforce again, what with wishing for a paycheck and all. :)
Off I went to apply for a school bus driving job. I signed up with the local branch of the bus company I had worked for in Regina, and was, of course, accepted on and went through their training program again. I had expected to get a position in town, but when the orientation day came for all the drivers, I was not given one of these routes. I was, however, given a route for the French school board down the road a ways. It wasn't ideal. I drove half an hour to the bus yard, drove another 15 minutes in the bus to the start of the route, picked up 20 students. Drove about 15 more minutes with them, dropped half off at an elementary school, picked up a few more at that school, then drove another 10 minutes to drop everyone else off at the high school. Then a 40 minute drive with my empty bus back to the yard. Then I drove home, because the time gap was too big to stay in the city where my bus was. Then I repeated the process in reverse at the end of the day. And the students (some of them) were very rowdy, some very spoiled and undisciplined, and just basically made the drive very stressful and somewhat dangerous. Even adding the half hour for pre-check and post-check on the bus, I was driving 2 hours a day to get paid for about 3 hours of work that I wasn't even enjoying.
My husband was watching me kind of fade away, emotionally and energy-wise. I was tired, I was cranky, I was maybe a bit depressed, and WAY stressed out, and just basically not myself anymore. So he suggested maybe I should switch jobs. No way! Nuh-uh! Not gonna happen! What if...what if..what if...
I was worried that I would hate the next job too, or not find something, and was just basically clinging to the thought that I had to stick to what I had spent all this time training for.
Long story short, he convinced me, I looked, and on October 20, I started my new job as a driver for Enterprise Commercial Trucks (which recently rebranded as Enterprise Truck Rentals), and have not looked back since, except to laugh at my hesitation. I love my job now. I drive mostly pickup trucks (ranging from 1/2 tons to 1 1/2 tons), but also drive deck trucks, picker trucks, cube trucks, transit vans, cargo vans, 8-passenger vans, and occasionally SUVs, minivans, and the rare car. The people I work with are all great, have an uproarious sense of humour, and are just generally nuts, and it's awesome! :)
My partner at work and I get along great. He keeps me laughing all the time, and has even suggested a couple of harmless pranks (which is fine because I have been pranked by the BOSS already)...we were going to hang a pirate flag on the picker that was displayed in front of the office, but never could find one before they moved it, so when he suggested "safety shoelaces", I got right on it. He and I now sport very bright shoelaces on our shoes at work....one neon yellow, and one neon orange, to match our safety vests. Everyone (with the exception of one co-worker who is not known for her sense of humour anyway) thought they were absolutely hilarious! :) I completely forgot about them and made one woman in a Walmart parking lot do a double take, burst out laughing, and comment on how safety conscious I must be. :-D
A few weeks ago, my brother quit his job up north, and I helped him move south with my minivan. 2700+ km in 4 days. And he doesn't drive. I was a little uninspired to go back to work the day after that adventure. :)
The kids continue to grow and become their own very different people. Some days, it's a good thing, some days I wonder how I will ever survive until they are old enough to be on their own.
We discovered over the past year that our son is mildly autistic. They used to call it Aspergers, but now it is referred to as High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder. Whatever they want to call it, we are learning about it and what it means in regards to who my son is, why he does some of the things he does, and how to help him in different ways. Depending on the day, he can be "just like any other child", and others he can range from mildly annoying to others to a real pest or "weirdo" in the eyes of kids at school and in the general public. I put those in quotations because they are more how other people would maybe describe him, people who don't live with him every day and don't see how he ticks and don't see him as the whole person he is as opposed to the snapshot views you get of someone you know or see on a semi-regular or rare basis. He is an awesome little man, with a great sense of humour, a wonderfully soft heart (and a great hugger), and a whiz with anything Pokemon or Lego. (He completed a 2000+ piece Lego kit, Age 16+ Expert level, by himself, in about 2 weeks, working on it after school and weekends only) He is also an amazing chef. A recent (and extremely delicious) dish he made was scallops with dried cranberries, maple bacon, and homemade garlic aioli. We hope he will continue to cook for us forever. :)
Our daughter has been going through a very tough year. She is in a state of figuring out who she is, including making some very serious and dangerous mistakes which she thankfully seems to have moved past. She is a beautiful young woman, and we are very proud of her in terms of her grades, her basic personality, and the fact that other than the mistakes, she seems to make mostly good decisions in life. She is going through that crashing-waves-of-hormonal-instability stage of life where she can either be a nice, pleasant person, or a brooding, grumpy-cat sullen teenager, and it can change in a two minute period of time, but hopefully she (and we) will make it through that in the next few years. :) She is an amazing artist, and also quite musical. She has a beautiful singing voice, can play piano, clarinet, and has 3 guitars (acoustic, electric, and bass).
We are preparing in the near future for an Alaskan cruise, for which we are very excited. We have heard nothing but good things about Alaska cruises and are looking forward to one of the few family vacations we probably have left, before they are grown and moved out. Should be fun.
And that probably covers most of the past year. I hope. And I will try to do a better job of keeping this blog updated.
No promises, though.
This blog thing certainly has not been a priority. Now that my friend has started her own blog, having moved overseas, maybe I will get back into the swing of things myself.
So what can I update my tiny group of followers on? Hmmm
Well, it has certainly been a year of changes. I spent a few months just being a stay-at-home mom again, unpacking, getting used to the community and all, then figured it was probably time to get cracking and back into the workforce again, what with wishing for a paycheck and all. :)
Off I went to apply for a school bus driving job. I signed up with the local branch of the bus company I had worked for in Regina, and was, of course, accepted on and went through their training program again. I had expected to get a position in town, but when the orientation day came for all the drivers, I was not given one of these routes. I was, however, given a route for the French school board down the road a ways. It wasn't ideal. I drove half an hour to the bus yard, drove another 15 minutes in the bus to the start of the route, picked up 20 students. Drove about 15 more minutes with them, dropped half off at an elementary school, picked up a few more at that school, then drove another 10 minutes to drop everyone else off at the high school. Then a 40 minute drive with my empty bus back to the yard. Then I drove home, because the time gap was too big to stay in the city where my bus was. Then I repeated the process in reverse at the end of the day. And the students (some of them) were very rowdy, some very spoiled and undisciplined, and just basically made the drive very stressful and somewhat dangerous. Even adding the half hour for pre-check and post-check on the bus, I was driving 2 hours a day to get paid for about 3 hours of work that I wasn't even enjoying.
My husband was watching me kind of fade away, emotionally and energy-wise. I was tired, I was cranky, I was maybe a bit depressed, and WAY stressed out, and just basically not myself anymore. So he suggested maybe I should switch jobs. No way! Nuh-uh! Not gonna happen! What if...what if..what if...
I was worried that I would hate the next job too, or not find something, and was just basically clinging to the thought that I had to stick to what I had spent all this time training for.
Long story short, he convinced me, I looked, and on October 20, I started my new job as a driver for Enterprise Commercial Trucks (which recently rebranded as Enterprise Truck Rentals), and have not looked back since, except to laugh at my hesitation. I love my job now. I drive mostly pickup trucks (ranging from 1/2 tons to 1 1/2 tons), but also drive deck trucks, picker trucks, cube trucks, transit vans, cargo vans, 8-passenger vans, and occasionally SUVs, minivans, and the rare car. The people I work with are all great, have an uproarious sense of humour, and are just generally nuts, and it's awesome! :)
My partner at work and I get along great. He keeps me laughing all the time, and has even suggested a couple of harmless pranks (which is fine because I have been pranked by the BOSS already)...we were going to hang a pirate flag on the picker that was displayed in front of the office, but never could find one before they moved it, so when he suggested "safety shoelaces", I got right on it. He and I now sport very bright shoelaces on our shoes at work....one neon yellow, and one neon orange, to match our safety vests. Everyone (with the exception of one co-worker who is not known for her sense of humour anyway) thought they were absolutely hilarious! :) I completely forgot about them and made one woman in a Walmart parking lot do a double take, burst out laughing, and comment on how safety conscious I must be. :-D
A few weeks ago, my brother quit his job up north, and I helped him move south with my minivan. 2700+ km in 4 days. And he doesn't drive. I was a little uninspired to go back to work the day after that adventure. :)
The kids continue to grow and become their own very different people. Some days, it's a good thing, some days I wonder how I will ever survive until they are old enough to be on their own.
We discovered over the past year that our son is mildly autistic. They used to call it Aspergers, but now it is referred to as High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder. Whatever they want to call it, we are learning about it and what it means in regards to who my son is, why he does some of the things he does, and how to help him in different ways. Depending on the day, he can be "just like any other child", and others he can range from mildly annoying to others to a real pest or "weirdo" in the eyes of kids at school and in the general public. I put those in quotations because they are more how other people would maybe describe him, people who don't live with him every day and don't see how he ticks and don't see him as the whole person he is as opposed to the snapshot views you get of someone you know or see on a semi-regular or rare basis. He is an awesome little man, with a great sense of humour, a wonderfully soft heart (and a great hugger), and a whiz with anything Pokemon or Lego. (He completed a 2000+ piece Lego kit, Age 16+ Expert level, by himself, in about 2 weeks, working on it after school and weekends only) He is also an amazing chef. A recent (and extremely delicious) dish he made was scallops with dried cranberries, maple bacon, and homemade garlic aioli.
Our daughter has been going through a very tough year. She is in a state of figuring out who she is, including making some very serious and dangerous mistakes which she thankfully seems to have moved past. She is a beautiful young woman, and we are very proud of her in terms of her grades, her basic personality, and the fact that other than the mistakes, she seems to make mostly good decisions in life. She is going through that crashing-waves-of-hormonal-instability stage of life where she can either be a nice, pleasant person, or a brooding, grumpy-cat sullen teenager, and it can change in a two minute period of time, but hopefully she (and we) will make it through that in the next few years. :) She is an amazing artist, and also quite musical. She has a beautiful singing voice, can play piano, clarinet, and has 3 guitars (acoustic, electric, and bass).
We are preparing in the near future for an Alaskan cruise, for which we are very excited. We have heard nothing but good things about Alaska cruises and are looking forward to one of the few family vacations we probably have left, before they are grown and moved out. Should be fun.
And that probably covers most of the past year. I hope. And I will try to do a better job of keeping this blog updated.
No promises, though.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Catching Up
Have you ever noticed how life sometimes just creeps up on you? My brother pointed out that I hadn't updated my blog in over a year, and so I posted a "hang on, I'll update" note....and promptly fell into life again.
So here I am to try to update everyone on life in general....I continued as a school bus driver, and really liked it, and was switched in April of 2013 to a route that was going to be my permanent, forever one, but had to quit on Valentine's Day this year because my husband got a job that looked to be exactly what he wanted, with the one downside being that we were going to have to move. More on that later.
In April of 2013, my little brother had an aeortic aneurism. He ended up being flown from Fort McMurray to the Edmonton Heart Institute (or some name like that) for 10 hours of open heart surgery. It was apparently due to a birth defect, involving a bicuspid aortic valve (it is supposed to be tricuspid, you see). That was a scary time for us all, as he was only 31 years old.
The good news is that he got through that, and after a few months of rehab and healing, was able to go back to his job up north, and he seems to be doing just fine. He comes down for his one year follow up in a few days.
My daughter's ankles seem to have repaired themselves, and other than the occasional flare-up, she seems to be back to her normal self, which is good now that she has to walk to and from school. Physiotherapy seems to have done the trick, though they never did come up with an answer to what the problem was without turning around and changing their minds.
On my birthday this year, our pastor and his wife were in a terrible motorcycle accident when a deer ran out in front of them. Our pastor needed surgery and a lot of healing, and unfortunately his wife did not survive. It was really hard time for everyone at our church, as she was a real spark of life. She was the kind of person that just radiated happiness and love and she is very much missed.
In the summer, I signed up to drive my school bus as a shuttle between the city and a major country music festival, at night. Never again. Never. The people on my bus were, for the most part, well behaved, thank goodness, but some of them were too drunk to fish, if you know what I mean. It was hard to communicate with some of them, and I had one instance where I had to argue with someone who insisted I let them out at a spot I was not allowed to stop, and they even told me they could just "tuck and roll if I'd just open the doors"!!! We are talking about highway here. NOT that it would have made any difference where it was.
We took the kids across the border to the North Dakota State Fair. It was a lot of fun, a combination of Regina's Queen City Ex, Agribition, and Farm Show all rolled into one, but I don't think I would do it again...the cost of the travel plus the cost to be there really does add up. I think in the future we will just stay local.
We took our giant 13 man tent and camped at a place called Black Butte while there. It was awesome. We used air beds, so we were comfy enough, and the tent separates into 4 rooms, basically, so we had three bedrooms and a porch for the 4 of us. The campground was out in the open, very primitive, according to the owners, but to our view it was not primitive, it was perfect...there was a sandy area for the kids to play, a well, a fire pit, a barbecue, picnic table, a light in the middle of the field, and a permanent outhouse. We could hear coyotes howling in the distance, and see lots of stars at night.
I think you could fit maybe 4 families in the campground, but we had it all to ourselves. It was heavenly.
I got to be the cool mom as I went with my daughter to see Simple Plan at the local fair. We came away happy, half deaf, and disgusted by the cigarette smoke and hint of weed that was floating all around for the whole concert.
My son went to Cub Camp for the first time...9 days away from home. He had an amazing time, though the people running the program must have hated us...somehow we got the times wrong, so he got TO camp about 5 hours late...and so I had hubby ask someone about when to pick him up, and that person gave us wrong info, so we picked him up 3 hours LATE. I felt AWFUL. But he survived and got to go to a bee farm and get honey, he built his own tool box and step stool, made leather stuff, and just generally had a blast.
I took a Greyhound across the country to attend one of my two high school reunions (I moved in high school, so get to claim two high schools). Twenty year reunion. How did that happen? In any case, it was a good trip, though I didn't enjoy the ride as much as I used to when I was younger. I got to get the foods that are not available at home...Quebec poutine, spruce beer and nectar (both types of pop)...stuff like that. It was good to see people I had not seen in over 20 years (I could not make it to my 10 year reunion), and to connect with some of them on Facebook afterwards.
Along the trip, there was a stop at A&W going both ways. They were selling a jalapeno teen burger, and sweet potato fries with chipotle dip. I was in heaven. :) I am so happy they still have the sweet potato fries and dip, and the current special of Spicy Blue Cheese Teen Burger is really good, too.
Starting in September, my husband started to be away...A LOT! A company he was working for had a huge number of clients that needed the work done, and my husband was the main guy, so they asked him first. It got a little rough, having him gone more than he was home over a period of about 5 months. That started the whole new job thing, too. He wanted something a bit more 9-5, a bit more solid home/work separation.
In November, my husband surprised me. Do you remember that ad where the husband is being driven to the airport by his wife, and she is kind of depressed, and as she stands beside the car at the airport, ready to say goodbye AGAIN, she says "Where are you off to THIS time?", and he pops the trunk, there are two suitcases, and he says "Paris. Wanna come?"....well, he TRIED to do something like that, except it was Niagara Falls, and he ended up having to tell me a few days ahead of time because he had troubles figuring out a few of the details, such as getting the kids packed to go to the grandparents, getting the dog to the kennel without me freaking out over the fact the dog was missing...stuff like that. But he had it planned out in deep detail. Kids to my parents', dog to the kennel, he went and talked to my boss and got her in on it so I could miss some days of work, told my friends in Ontario that I was coming so they could plan to come see me...it was awesome and romantic.
While we were there, we found this amazing sushi place. They give you a page of all their sushi and you check off with a little pencil what you would like. Then they bring it, and another page, and if you want more, you check off the new page, and so on. We ate SO MUCH sushi!!!!! :)
There was also a place called Smoke Poutine. I highly recommend it if you ever see one. The poutine is huge, and they have about 20 different options, from your basic poutine to one with smoked meat on top, to steak, to chicken, and so on. Yum.
We took off down to the States for one night, just over the border into New York. Can't remember the city, though. Started with "M". Anyway, we went to a movie theatre there. I WANT a theatre like that here!!! Reclining armchairs with cup holders, pretzel bites with hot cheese dip, a serve-yourself pop bar where you can create your own pop (if you wanted, you could have weird and wonderful combinations like raspberry coke). Very cool.
Our furnace died at the end of November. Not cool. Or I guess REALLY cool...COLD that is!!! The motor had burned out and it needed a new belt too. While the guy was here, a coyote ran down the street, right in front of our house! THAT was pretty cool...and freaky.
We spent a week over Christmas in Edmonton. Treated the kids to TWO days at West Edmonton Mall...one day at the Waterpark, and one day at Galaxyland. It was a lot of fun...and very tiring. They had fun seeing their grandparents and their aunt, all of whom spoiled them. :)
Both kids were on a bowling league this year, and both did quite well, though much to our son's frustration, his sister beat the pants off him, score wise, despite it being her first year and his third. They have a year end banquet coming up, and with her having won a gold medal in Junior Doubles, I think she has a shot at winning a trophy this year, too.
At the end of January, my husband had an interview for a new job. It was a province away, but it was a Monday to Friday job (with a rare Saturday, about 8:30-5:30, doing what he is good at, in an area of expertise where he wanted to be, with a better salary. Part of me was excited, part of me was not sure I wanted this. I had lived in the same city for 12 years and wasn't sure I was ready to move on. It took three interviews, in fairly quick succession (about 2 weeks?), but he did get the job. And it started in 2 weeks. So he left before we did, and I was left to pack up the house, arrange for painters, deal with the real estate agent, notify everyone and everything that we were leaving/quitting, and get myself, two kids, a dog, a cat, a hamster, and way too many items jammed into the minivan for a 10 hour one-way road trip to a place I had never been, to a house I had never seen, except for pictures and a mini video my husband took while house hunting. It was rough. But here we are, and I really do like it here. It's nice, it's friendly, it's quiet. The kids each have their own school, and both have to walk to and from school. It is good because this way they can't bug each other at school, they have their own identity (and not as X's brother or sister), and they are getting a bit of exercise each day as they walk.
Getting things switched over in terms of our cars has been an absolute nightmare. They had to go through an Out of Province Inspection before I could get new plates. I put the newest one through first, figuring it would pass, no problem, but no...they required about $2000 of work and fees to be paid before it was passed and plated, and it was down to the wire, time wise, to get the parts fixed because there was one part that was supposedly back ordered for weeks (and you get TEN DAYS from the inspection to get it all done)...I found a place with the part, an hour away, and it was done on day 9, and the reinspection was done on day 10. Then we took the older car in. It failed, of course. So I had to make an appointment for THAT...a week later. Two full days of repairs and about $3000 later, that one is finally done on day 8. That was just ridiculous. I never want to do that ever again.
I have been back to being a stay-at-home mom for the last little bit, just while we get everything unpacked and settled. I hope to find another school bus driver position in May, or at the very least for the fall.
So here I am to try to update everyone on life in general....I continued as a school bus driver, and really liked it, and was switched in April of 2013 to a route that was going to be my permanent, forever one, but had to quit on Valentine's Day this year because my husband got a job that looked to be exactly what he wanted, with the one downside being that we were going to have to move. More on that later.
In April of 2013, my little brother had an aeortic aneurism. He ended up being flown from Fort McMurray to the Edmonton Heart Institute (or some name like that) for 10 hours of open heart surgery. It was apparently due to a birth defect, involving a bicuspid aortic valve (it is supposed to be tricuspid, you see). That was a scary time for us all, as he was only 31 years old.
The good news is that he got through that, and after a few months of rehab and healing, was able to go back to his job up north, and he seems to be doing just fine. He comes down for his one year follow up in a few days.
My daughter's ankles seem to have repaired themselves, and other than the occasional flare-up, she seems to be back to her normal self, which is good now that she has to walk to and from school. Physiotherapy seems to have done the trick, though they never did come up with an answer to what the problem was without turning around and changing their minds.
On my birthday this year, our pastor and his wife were in a terrible motorcycle accident when a deer ran out in front of them. Our pastor needed surgery and a lot of healing, and unfortunately his wife did not survive. It was really hard time for everyone at our church, as she was a real spark of life. She was the kind of person that just radiated happiness and love and she is very much missed.
In the summer, I signed up to drive my school bus as a shuttle between the city and a major country music festival, at night. Never again. Never. The people on my bus were, for the most part, well behaved, thank goodness, but some of them were too drunk to fish, if you know what I mean. It was hard to communicate with some of them, and I had one instance where I had to argue with someone who insisted I let them out at a spot I was not allowed to stop, and they even told me they could just "tuck and roll if I'd just open the doors"!!! We are talking about highway here. NOT that it would have made any difference where it was.
We took the kids across the border to the North Dakota State Fair. It was a lot of fun, a combination of Regina's Queen City Ex, Agribition, and Farm Show all rolled into one, but I don't think I would do it again...the cost of the travel plus the cost to be there really does add up. I think in the future we will just stay local.
We took our giant 13 man tent and camped at a place called Black Butte while there. It was awesome. We used air beds, so we were comfy enough, and the tent separates into 4 rooms, basically, so we had three bedrooms and a porch for the 4 of us. The campground was out in the open, very primitive, according to the owners, but to our view it was not primitive, it was perfect...there was a sandy area for the kids to play, a well, a fire pit, a barbecue, picnic table, a light in the middle of the field, and a permanent outhouse. We could hear coyotes howling in the distance, and see lots of stars at night.
I think you could fit maybe 4 families in the campground, but we had it all to ourselves. It was heavenly.
I got to be the cool mom as I went with my daughter to see Simple Plan at the local fair. We came away happy, half deaf, and disgusted by the cigarette smoke and hint of weed that was floating all around for the whole concert.
My son went to Cub Camp for the first time...9 days away from home. He had an amazing time, though the people running the program must have hated us...somehow we got the times wrong, so he got TO camp about 5 hours late...and so I had hubby ask someone about when to pick him up, and that person gave us wrong info, so we picked him up 3 hours LATE. I felt AWFUL. But he survived and got to go to a bee farm and get honey, he built his own tool box and step stool, made leather stuff, and just generally had a blast.
I took a Greyhound across the country to attend one of my two high school reunions (I moved in high school, so get to claim two high schools). Twenty year reunion. How did that happen? In any case, it was a good trip, though I didn't enjoy the ride as much as I used to when I was younger. I got to get the foods that are not available at home...Quebec poutine, spruce beer and nectar (both types of pop)...stuff like that. It was good to see people I had not seen in over 20 years (I could not make it to my 10 year reunion), and to connect with some of them on Facebook afterwards.
Along the trip, there was a stop at A&W going both ways. They were selling a jalapeno teen burger, and sweet potato fries with chipotle dip. I was in heaven. :) I am so happy they still have the sweet potato fries and dip, and the current special of Spicy Blue Cheese Teen Burger is really good, too.
Starting in September, my husband started to be away...A LOT! A company he was working for had a huge number of clients that needed the work done, and my husband was the main guy, so they asked him first. It got a little rough, having him gone more than he was home over a period of about 5 months. That started the whole new job thing, too. He wanted something a bit more 9-5, a bit more solid home/work separation.
In November, my husband surprised me. Do you remember that ad where the husband is being driven to the airport by his wife, and she is kind of depressed, and as she stands beside the car at the airport, ready to say goodbye AGAIN, she says "Where are you off to THIS time?", and he pops the trunk, there are two suitcases, and he says "Paris. Wanna come?"....well, he TRIED to do something like that, except it was Niagara Falls, and he ended up having to tell me a few days ahead of time because he had troubles figuring out a few of the details, such as getting the kids packed to go to the grandparents, getting the dog to the kennel without me freaking out over the fact the dog was missing...stuff like that. But he had it planned out in deep detail. Kids to my parents', dog to the kennel, he went and talked to my boss and got her in on it so I could miss some days of work, told my friends in Ontario that I was coming so they could plan to come see me...it was awesome and romantic.
While we were there, we found this amazing sushi place. They give you a page of all their sushi and you check off with a little pencil what you would like. Then they bring it, and another page, and if you want more, you check off the new page, and so on. We ate SO MUCH sushi!!!!! :)
There was also a place called Smoke Poutine. I highly recommend it if you ever see one. The poutine is huge, and they have about 20 different options, from your basic poutine to one with smoked meat on top, to steak, to chicken, and so on. Yum.
We took off down to the States for one night, just over the border into New York. Can't remember the city, though. Started with "M". Anyway, we went to a movie theatre there. I WANT a theatre like that here!!! Reclining armchairs with cup holders, pretzel bites with hot cheese dip, a serve-yourself pop bar where you can create your own pop (if you wanted, you could have weird and wonderful combinations like raspberry coke). Very cool.
Our furnace died at the end of November. Not cool. Or I guess REALLY cool...COLD that is!!! The motor had burned out and it needed a new belt too. While the guy was here, a coyote ran down the street, right in front of our house! THAT was pretty cool...and freaky.
We spent a week over Christmas in Edmonton. Treated the kids to TWO days at West Edmonton Mall...one day at the Waterpark, and one day at Galaxyland. It was a lot of fun...and very tiring. They had fun seeing their grandparents and their aunt, all of whom spoiled them. :)
Both kids were on a bowling league this year, and both did quite well, though much to our son's frustration, his sister beat the pants off him, score wise, despite it being her first year and his third. They have a year end banquet coming up, and with her having won a gold medal in Junior Doubles, I think she has a shot at winning a trophy this year, too.
At the end of January, my husband had an interview for a new job. It was a province away, but it was a Monday to Friday job (with a rare Saturday, about 8:30-5:30, doing what he is good at, in an area of expertise where he wanted to be, with a better salary. Part of me was excited, part of me was not sure I wanted this. I had lived in the same city for 12 years and wasn't sure I was ready to move on. It took three interviews, in fairly quick succession (about 2 weeks?), but he did get the job. And it started in 2 weeks. So he left before we did, and I was left to pack up the house, arrange for painters, deal with the real estate agent, notify everyone and everything that we were leaving/quitting, and get myself, two kids, a dog, a cat, a hamster, and way too many items jammed into the minivan for a 10 hour one-way road trip to a place I had never been, to a house I had never seen, except for pictures and a mini video my husband took while house hunting. It was rough. But here we are, and I really do like it here. It's nice, it's friendly, it's quiet. The kids each have their own school, and both have to walk to and from school. It is good because this way they can't bug each other at school, they have their own identity (and not as X's brother or sister), and they are getting a bit of exercise each day as they walk.
Getting things switched over in terms of our cars has been an absolute nightmare. They had to go through an Out of Province Inspection before I could get new plates. I put the newest one through first, figuring it would pass, no problem, but no...they required about $2000 of work and fees to be paid before it was passed and plated, and it was down to the wire, time wise, to get the parts fixed because there was one part that was supposedly back ordered for weeks (and you get TEN DAYS from the inspection to get it all done)...I found a place with the part, an hour away, and it was done on day 9, and the reinspection was done on day 10. Then we took the older car in. It failed, of course. So I had to make an appointment for THAT...a week later. Two full days of repairs and about $3000 later, that one is finally done on day 8. That was just ridiculous. I never want to do that ever again.
I have been back to being a stay-at-home mom for the last little bit, just while we get everything unpacked and settled. I hope to find another school bus driver position in May, or at the very least for the fall.
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