Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Little Bumps

So, I got some semi-good news today which is making me feeling pretty good. I can't go into details because he doesn't want me to, so I'll stay silent. I will say that God is good. He leads the way. He has a plan. He provides. The little bumps along the way make us stronger and allow us to handle the bigger things yet to come. So, for now, it's a little bump, and I continue to pray that it doesn't get bigger. Maybe it's just a reminder at how precious this life is and how He is in control... always. How we must put our trust in Him and let the journey lead us to where He wants it to go. I thank Him for my family and all the blessings of my life.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Lunch Date

So, I took my boy on a lunch date today! Haven't done that in forever. It was special!

I asked him last night if he'd like to go out for lunch today, and he didn't even hesitate. "Sure!" he said with a big smile on his face. I think he actually still likes me!! Yippee.

So I picked him up from school and we went to Swiss Chalet for lunch. It was nice. We talked, just the two of us... no interruptions - well, other than the food :-) He had a big vocabulary exam this morning that had been stressing him out for days, so now that it's over I think he was feeling pretty relaxed. I just thought he deserved some special time with mom... OK, mom needed some special time with her boy!

It just felt right... me and my boy... wish I could keep him small... gosh I love him!

Friday, May 21, 2010

Survey Says

Friday, May 28, 2010

Haven't done one of these in a while, and I thought it might be fun to read it again in a year or two to see what's changed... maybe my hair will be grey by then, or I'll have a new scar... hope not though.

1. ONE OF YOUR SCARS, HOW DID YOU GET IT? Calgary Canucks hockey game in grade 11... slapshot to the face, just below my right eye... knocked me out... a bunch of stiches and a dad who had to take pictures of my big black eye. The only good thing was I got to see the Canucks dressing room and a guy I had "crushed" on a few years before (Mark Astley) was playing on the team. Why I recall that, I do not know!

2. WHAT IS ON THE WALLS IN YOUR ROOM? Which room... OK, I'll pick one... my bedroom... photos of each child (Meghan... in her grad dress, Andrew... in his grad suit, Christopher... as a baby only a couple weeks old, and Katie... as a baby about 4 months old), two professional pictures of me pregnant with Katie, a great big wedding photo of Bruce and I, a dried flower arrangement (I know they're out of style) of flowers we received when Carly died.

3. DO YOU SNORE, GRIND YOUR TEETH, OR TALK IN YOUR SLEEP? I don't NORMALLY snore, and yes I grind my teeth.

4. WHAT TYPE OF MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO? Country, Classic Rock, Christian Worship and in no particular order.

5. DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME YOU WERE BORN? Not the exact time, but about 4:00 PM on a Friday.

6. WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW? Do I HAVE to spell it out loud? That would be inappropriate :-)

7. WHAT DO YOU MISS? Could there be an easier question? MY MOM!!! Every single solitary day!!

8. WHAT IS YOUR MOST PRIZED POSSESSION? Another super easy question... photos and videos of my family!

9. HOW TALL ARE YOU? 5"7 1/2

10. DO YOU GET CLAUSTROPHOBIC? Not usually

11. DO YOU GET SCARED IN THE DARK? Depends... I like to sleep in the dark now, but I hated the dark as a child though.

12. THE LAST PERSON TO MAKE YOU CRY? Hubby

13. WHATS YOUR WORST FEAR? Something bad happening to my children

14. WHAT KIND OF HAIR/EYE COLOR DO YOU LIKE ON THE OPPOSITE SEX? dark eyes, dark hair

15. WHERE CAN YOU SEE YOURSELF PROPOSING / BEING PROPOSED TO AT? Well, since I'm already married, probably not a good thing to be thinking about :-)

16. COFFEE OR ENERGY DRINK? COFFEE of course!! Those energy drinks are evil.

17. FAVORITE PIZZA TOPPING? Greek pizza

18. IF YOU COULD EAT ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE? An assortment of cheeses and crackers with many varieties of good wine!

19. FAVORITE COLOR OF ALL TIME? PINK PINK PINK PINK PINK

20. HAVE YOU EVER EATEN A GOLDFISH? Not likely!

21. WHAT WAS THE FIRST MEANINGFUL GIFT YOU'VE EVER RECEIVED? Life!! I must admit, I stole this from someone elses list, but it's a good one.

22. DO YOU HAVE A CRUSH? Oh yeah!

23. ARE YOU DOUBLE JOINTED? Sadly no

24. FAVORITE CLOTHING BRAND? Tommy Hilfiger, Eddie Bauer

25. WHO IS THE HOTTEST FEMALE/MALE CELEBRITY? Hmmmm... so I had to go to the "People" website to get some inspiration. Here's my list... Keith Urban, George Clooney, Johnny Depp, Chris North, Matthew McConaughey, and Josh Duhamel

26. DO YOU HAVE A PET RIGHT NOW? Not including a husband and kids? Yes... Jackson the cat (he's a little evil) and Sam our dog (he just a sloppy love bug).

27. WHAT KIND IS IT? Jackson's a CAT, just a CAT. Sam is a Springer Spaniel Golden Retriever Cross.

28. WOULD YOU FALL IN LOVE KNOWING THAT THE PERSON IS LEAVING? Absolutely!! Life is too short to NOT embrace love... we're all "leaving" at one point or another.

29. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO TELL SOMEONE HOW MUCH THEY MEAN TO YOU? Tell someone how much they mean to you!

30. SAY A NUMBER FROM ONE TO A HUNDRED: "a number from one to a hundred"

31. BLONDES OR BRUNETTES? A mixture of both perhaps?

32. WHAT IS THE ONE NUMBER YOU CALL MOST OFTEN? My hubby's cell phone

33. WHAT ANNOYS YOU MOST? People who don't keep promises!

34. HAVE YOU BEEN OUT OF THE COUNTRY? You bet!

35. YOUR WEAKNESSES? There's too many to list!

36. MET ANYONE FAMOUS? Nothing that sticks out, however I did eat in the same restaurant, at the same time, as Kevin Costner!

37. FIRST JOB? Kresges Diner Counter... YES, my first job was in a "cooking" environment... go figure!

38. EVER DONE A PRANK CALL? Often... but not in a few years :-)

39. DO YOU THINK EVERYONE OUT THERE HAS A SOULMATE? YES

40. WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU FILLED THIS OUT? Well, I was supposed to be working... tee hee hee

41. HAVE YOU EVER HAD SURGERY? When I was 5 and 7... had my ears pinned back because they stuck out... I looked like a sugar bowl when I was a baby. The first thing my mom said when I was born was "look at those ears!" God, I miss her!

42. WHAT DO YOU GET COMPLIMENTED ABOUT MOST? My organizational ability!

43. HAVE YOU EVER HAD BRACES? Nope, but there's still time.

44. WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY? Healthy children, husband, dad, brother(s), friends, and ME! Oh, and maybe an i-Pad!

45. HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT? No more than I have already, thank you very much!

46. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Yes, my two grandmas... MaRINA (mom's mom) and ElizaBETH (dad's mom)

47. WHAT IS THE BIGGEST TURN OFF OF THE OPPOSITE SEX? Nagging

48. WHAT IS ONE THING YOU MISS ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL? The DRAMA for sure!!! Because it REALLY wasn't drama, although I thought it was at the time. Ahhhh, to go back to something so simple!

49. WHAT KIND OF SHAMPOO DO YOU USE? Tresemme

50. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? I do!

51. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Tuna Salad

52. ANY BAD HABITS? TONS!

53. ARE YOU A JEALOUS PERSON? About certain things, yes

54. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Hope so!

55. DO YOU AGREE WITH FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS? Not for my kids, that's for sure! :-)

56. DO LOOKS MATTER? Sadly they do. Hey, I'm just being honest.

57. HOW DO YOU RELEASE ANGER? Oh nooooo, I don't release anger, I bottle it up inside me and wait for the cork to pop!

58. WHERE DO YOU LIVE? In McKenzie Towne, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

59. WHATS YOUR MAIN GOAL IN LIFE? To see my children grow up to be happy, healthy, well adjusted adults with families of their own that I like!

60. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A CHILD? Fisher Price Garage Set and LEGO.... I should have been a boy I guess!

61. HOW MANY NUMBERS ARE IN YOUR CELL PHONE? 10 (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0) HA HA

62. WERE YOU A FAN OF BARNEY AS A LITTLE KID? There was NO SUCH THING as Barney when I was a kid!

63. DO YOU USE SARCASM? NEVER! (Typical answer I know)

64. MASHED POTATOES OR MACARONI AND CHEESE? Mac and Cheese

65. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GUY/GIRL? Passion

66. WHAT ARE YOUR NAMES? That's a dumb question... "MOM, MOM, and MOM"

67. WHATS YOUR FAVORITE BAND/SINGER? Van Halen, Scorpions

68. WHATS YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW? 1. Modern Family; 2. The Good Wife

69.WHATS THE BEST WAY TO DEAL WITH YOUR ENEMIES? Life is too short to have enemies

70. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Coffee or Maple Walnut

71. DO YOU HAVE ALL YOUR FINGERS AND TOES? Yes, and I have nice toes!

72. DO YOU HAVE A COMPUTER IN YOUR ROOM? In my bedroom? No! Although my laptop joins me there once in a while.

73. PLANS FOR TONIGHT? Hibernating... it's cold, wet, and was snowy! Yuck!

74. WHAT'S THE FASTEST YOU'VE EVER GONE IN A CAR? All the way!! HAHAHA. That was a LONG time ago... hee hee

75. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS? I'm not asking these questions, so no.

76. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO? The sound of the fireplace beside me, TV on in the back ground... Christopher's watching Corner Gas reruns.

77. LAST THING YOU DRANK? Ice tea, lots of ice

78. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Bruce

79. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE IN THE OPPOSITE SEX? Probably their eyes

80. WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME? Read, scrapbook, and make loooooove

81. FAVORITE THING/PERSON TO HATE? I try not to hate anyone... it's a useless emotion. However, I do hate the taste of butter by itself... YUCK!

82. FAVORITE MONTH OF THE YEAR? July

83. WHATS YOUR FAVORITE TYPE OF CANDY? Gummy Raspberry candies... can't remember what they're actually called.

84. HAVE YOU EVER REALLY AND TRULY HAD A BEST FRIEND? ABSOLUTELY!!! I know the typical answer is the husband, and he's my friend too, but my bestest friend is Janet who I've know most of my life!

85. WHAT IS YOUR HAIR COLOR? Brown with blonde highlights

86. EYE COLOR? Blue

87. SHOE SIZE? 8 1/2

88. FAVORITE FAST FOOD PLACE? Icky... I hate fast food most of the time, but once in a while I like a McDonald's Big Mac!

89. FAVORITE RESTAURANT? Many!! Macaroni Grill, Olive Garden, Caesars, Hitchin' Post

90. DO YOU LIKE SUSHI? I've tried.... NO

91. LAST THING YOU WATCHED? TV?

92. FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR? Christmas Day

93. PLAY ANY MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS? Not very well, but I'd really like to take piano

94. REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT? Canadian!!

95. KISSES OR HUGS? Lots of both please!

96. RELATIONSHIPS OR ONE NIGHT STANDS? Weeeeellll... relationships it has to be

97. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU BOUGHT? Lunch

98. DO YOU HAVE A LOW SELF ESTEEM OR A HIGH SELF ESTEEM? Low

99. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING? Mindless trashy romance novels

100. DESCRIBE YOUR LOVE LIFE I need more love

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

A Little Reminder

Life is busy. We forget to blog... for 8 months!!! Well, I'm back and I don't really have much to say, but felt a need to just write. I'm in a good place today, feeling happy with life and incredibly blessed to have two healthy children who I love more than anything in this world! I forget that sometimes... actually I forget that a lot, and sometimes it takes a little reminder for me to remember how very lucky and blessed I truly am. Sure, life is busy... there's stresses at work, stresses at school, and stresses at home... but that's all part of the journey, right?

I have been following the plight of a 5-year old "princess" who lives in Arizona. Her name is Gabriella, and she is on an incredible journey. A friend of mine on Facebook brought her to my attention about a year ago and I've been following her story ever since. She just got a sparkly new heart on Monday!!! And here I am worrying about things like school, tests, attitude, finances, and where to go on our next family vacation!

Yes, it's moments like this when I realize that God has blessed me over and over and over and over again. It's moments like this when I hug my children a little bit tighter and with a little more feeling. It's moments like this when I want to just sit and watch them sleep, or look them in the eye when they're telling me a story, and really listening to what they are saying.

Yep, sometimes I just need a little reminder.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Baby Boy Turns 12

I really don't know why I can't be more regular with my blogging. I LOVE reading other peoples blogs, but I always forget about my own. Too many other things going on I guess.

I think today I just want to talk about things that are happening in my life right now.

My baby boy (OK so he's not a baby anymore) is turning 12 tomorrow! 12, can you believe it? I keep telling him "no more" and "enough is enough" - he's not supposed to be growing up this fast. I really wish I could just bottle this time in life and carry it with me everywhere. I was looking at Christopher last night as he ran around the house in his PJ shorts and no shirt. His body is really changing, with everything becoming more defined. It really hit me that he's growing up, and I must say that I'm not crazy about the idea. I plan to keep him young for as long as possible. My one consolation is that he's still crazy about his mom, especially at night when it's time for bed... that's when he gets all soft and cuddly... and tends to want to talk about everything... it's the best time of the day!!!

So, we will celebrate his 12th birthday tomorrow with dinner at Caesars Steak House. He has been wanting to go there, but it's super expensive. We decided that we would celebrate our three birthdays (Bruce's, Christopher's, and mine - all within a couple weeks of each other) by splurging on dinner at Caesars. As a bonus, Christopher doesn't have school tomorrow, so he gets his birthday off - lucky guy! Too bad I have to work... boo hoo... that sucks!

We are still struggling with the perfect gift... it's between a drum set (I know, I'm crazy) and a basketball net. Katie's going to buy him a gun... yep, a gun... a PELLET gun. What am I thinking??? Christopher had the opportunity to play with a friend's pellet gun a few weeks back and so I thought that would be a cool gift for him... even though I hate the guns in his video games. This seems different though, because he'll use it for target shooting. I'm not sure if I'm making a mistake or not, but I feel quite comfortable with my decision so that can only be a good thing. HOWEVER, if he shoots his sister, even once, he's DONE!