Mel needs....

Google Game.
So - this is the Google game. You type your name followed by needs into Google and see what you get.

So here it is....

Mel needs:

~a big wet slopppy kiss. (well maybe not a sloppy one please)
~to lighten up on Flickr.
~less passion for the spirit. (hmmm)
~to repair her iPod. (I don't even own one!!)
~a home.
~to trade her Lexus in on a magic carpet. (hehe)
~sleep
~to focus on herself.

That was fun. The first one that actually came up was another blog site that had dne this, but they chose to ignore most of the Mel ones for some odd reason :)

I found this on Four Leaf Clover's site originally. Check hers out here.

Are You Still "In Love"??

While I was at work the other day a girl I worked with asked me a question that left me thinking for days after. She was asking whether Cam and I just loved each other or if we were still in love. I knew my answer right away, and yes, I am still in love with my husband. My heart still skips a beat at certain moments and I still get a sparkle in my eye when I think of him. Then we started talking about why she would ask that (she's only 18).

We started talking about how many marriages these days don't last or become just another thing. Or how people just become so used to each other, but there's no spark. It also made me think of many couples I know and how this one "should be simple" question really is something to think about and take seriuosly. It made me stop and think about our relationship and how special it actually is (ahh!!! almost put was!! oopsy lol). I hope that this makes you think of yours and if it helps you at all.

A Dream

My head is in a very wierd place right now. It's overwhelmed from many things going on in my life right now. I've been at my job for a couple of weeks now and I am absolutely loving it!! It's more like a hobby kinda thing that I get paid for. It never seems like work, which is nice. It's an amazing feeling when you help someone find their actual size in a bra and the look on the faces and the happiness they feel when they finally find a bra that they want to wear for a whole day and not dread putting it on. I had a lady in yesterday that was wearing a bra that was 6" too big in the band and it was amazing the difference in a proper fitting bra. I love how many different styles we have, but I don't love how quickly we go through them and can never seem to keep stock in many sizes. But it's a lot of fun and a great learning experience.

It's also nice not to be on commission, no bitchy girls saying that someone had more people than them. The staff is great and very helpful. For once I'm not the youngest one there!! I'm probably right smack dab in the middle. It's just a fun enviroment to be in and even the customers have a lot of fun when they come in.

On another note, Cam and I celebrated our 4th anniversary on August 7th. It was nice, we went out for supper at The Keg, which I've never been to before. It was really good!! I never get steak because no one ever cooks it well enough for me, but they did an awesome job!! We cheated on the price since we used Airmiles to help pay for it, but it was well worth it. After that we came home and watched a movie and relaxed, for awhile anyways. But we're going to a movie next week to finish celebrating (my sister in law is taking the girls for a couple of nights!! Yahoo!!).

But I must admit that I won't be posting very much. My head just always isn't into it and I find that sometimes when I do it down I feel like I can't say most things that I want or need to. I just am finding it difficult to get things out and therefore am making this a job. I will keep posting on occasion, but I will be checking in on your blogs still! Take care.

A Step Forward...

I'm nervous but very excited about this next step that I'm going to take in my life. I had recently discovered that a local store that I love was looking for part-time help. It's something that I've always wanted to do, so how could I possibly pass on this opportunity?

It all started a few weks ago when instead of an e-mail telling me about their awesome specials I got one saying that they were looking for part time workers. I got so excited that within five minutes I had sent in my resume. In less than 24 hours I had received feedback to do the second part of the procedure. It was actually pretty cool. It's 120 questions that help determine parts of your personality. Then the waiting came. I waited for a couple of weeks while she went through the tons of resumes she received. Usually after waiting that long I just assume that I didn't get it, but on Tuesday night I received a call asking me to come for an interview the next day (yesterday). So we met yesterday at 5:30pm and went for coffee. Well we pretty much just sat there talking for an hour and neverreally about my resume or anything like that, which was cool. By the time we were done talking I was 90% sure that I had the job, but still was getting mixed signals. She still had one more person to interview that night and that she'd let me know her decision. But then there were times that I knew I had it, she was asking me what days I would need in the fall, that she was hiring me and one more, and wanting to go back and get the schedule.

Well I got the call about half an hour ago saying that I got the job. It's 2-3 days a week, which is great for me. She wanted me to start tomorrow but then remembered that she wouldn't be there, so I officially start at noon on Saturday. So I will be learning how to do bra fittings and all that goes with it and probably in two weeks I'll be working one of many of the trade shows that they're in.

So now I just have to ready myself. I haven't been able to get ahold of my babysitter to make sure that she still has openings, but I do have a couple of backup plans just incase. I'm nervous because I haven't worked for three years and Mya has never really gone to a babysitter. She has a couple of times, but never a couple of times per week. So it'll be interesting to see the changes that will happen in our house in the next few weeks.

If anyone wants to try that personality quiz let me know! It's so much fun!! It's just a mulitple choice type thing. You'll enjoy it!

Reindeer Lake

I always look forward to our trip up north to go fishing, and every year I never leave dissapointed. No matter how crappy the weather you just can't help but love it there. Every bay you go into feels like a different place and just to see such a different landscape than what we're used to is amazing. So many fish caught, but only a few kept. We went fishing for pike and for lake trout. It was awesome fishing for lake trout (and pike of course, but it was our first time ever trout fishing). They fight so agressively, kinda like a salmon. Because the water is still cold they're only about 5-10 feet deep, but by the end of the month they'll go down to about 40 feet of water. But I tell ya, when they get a couple of feet from the surface that's when the real fight begins. All of a sudden your reel just starts to scream as they're taking your line farther out. These guys just don't give up, they keep fighting until the very end. I usually try to take my own hook out, but these guys are slimy like pike but with smaller heads, and the way that they kept on fighting I could never hold on to the darn things!!

The first night I was shocked by how light it stayed. Te first picture was taken on the dock t 11:00pm!! Our first full day of fishing was absolutely beautiful!! It was such a calm day out that the lake was like glass. I've never seen it so calm (this is a lake that is 162 miles long). But as the days went by it got windier and a little rougher with rain. By the 4th day we were having fun cruisung through 3' waves. At one point we were switching bays and I wasn't informed that it was going to be through the really rough water, so I ended up completely soaked! But that's enough talking, here are some photos for you to enjoy!!

I'm An Auntie!!

Juast thought I'd let people know that Laura went into early labor.... and now has a baby boy!! Things are looking good. That's all I know for now though!!

3 More Days and some drama...

I am getting restless waiting for our fishing trip to Reindeer Lake to come!! In three days we leave!! But with it comes a lot of work that HAS to be done. The girls are leaving tomorrow night so I'll be home by myself Thursday to finish getting Cam and I organized. So now I'm trying like crazy to catch up on laundry and find bathing suits, etc... But I really wanted to get this done yesterday, but then there came compilcations....

On the weekend I found a note under the wiper of the van telling me about the work they'd be doing on my street replacing hydrants and stuff. With that said they continued to tell us that our water would be shut off for three hours starting at 8:00am. So I patiently waited for it to come back on so I could wash clothes and do some dishes... but needless to say it was longer than three hours!! It was more like 6-7!! So that totally squashed my plans and we had ball last night so it couldn't be done. Now is a day to play catch up. Blah.

But on the plusside we had our church picnic on Saturday. We had a lot of fun, played some games, and even put Mya in the three legged race with a little boy...So cute.



Also it was our towns sports days that day. We took the girls on pony rides and other fun events for them. I had to walk with Mya when she was riding and she really seemed to enjoy laughing at me walking through the horse poop. I really didn't mind since I was always around horses growing up and kinda got used to it.

But that was a long enough break I guess. Time to get back to laundry!! I'll post again when we get back next Thursday!!

Kevin S (5/365)

You were always the easiest cousin to talk to growing up. You were always so full of life and love for everyone around. I don't think I ever saw you get mad. When I became an "adult" we seemed to become closer. We had more in common then. I was really looking forward to going fishing with you this summer, something we had in common but never had the chance to do. The last time you were out here fishing I couldn't go with since I was going on my honeymoon. I remember getting your reply for my wedding and I remember crying because it meant so much that you and your family would drive all that way to be there. You were one of my last dances at my wedding and I will treasure that forever. I miss you cuz and I just pray that you are at peace.

Justin D (4/365)

We were always close growing up. It always seemed to be me and you vs. Kerry. In high school you started hanging out with me and my friends and then you finally seemed to find your groove. I never minded that you were around, it was a lot of fun. I find it funny that you're still friends with all of my friends that I don't talk with anymore.

You've seem to have changed in the last few years. You badly hurt your arm and then you never seemed to recover emotionally. But it's not only that. You've hurt me by one simple action that I can't forgive you for. I cannot understand how you can be friends with the guy that is Madison's dad who didn't want to be a father. I felt so betrayed when I found out that you were still talking and still are.

I Just Wanna Dance!!

Since going to the cabaret last weekend I've had the dancing itch!! I danced with a couple of friends there and I didn't realize that they actually KNEW how to dance!! Man could they dance!! We were two stepping and spinning, and I was being dipped left and right!! It's been a long time since I've danced with someone who actually knows how to dance. Incase you didn't clue in already, Cam does not know how to dance. He doesn't even have the desire to learn, which is very sad. I love to dance and am doing good if I can get him to dance with me a couple of times when we go to a dance, and that includes slow songs. I had started teaching him to do oldtime dancing, but now at most weddings they don't play those songs anymore!! That makes me very sad.

I grew up in a family that loved to dance. No matter what you were on the dance floor. Whether you knew how or not, you would learn. At weddings I would love watching my parents waltz or polka. They're such beautiful dances. But now it's just not the same going to weddings or dances. No one seems to know how to dance these days!! Even to just two step is a challenge. It drives me nuts to go to a dance and see all of these guys just sitting around drinking because they don't know how to dance and don't really care to try!! So I find it hard to go to a country dance and not have anyone to dance with. But this last weekend I was making people dance even if they didn't know how. Was I ever shocked.

I don't understand why people don't want to learn. What is it about dancing that makes them want to hide in the sidelines?? It's great excercise and I think it's sexy when a guy can dance. Damn it makes me feel sexy!! I haven't been dipped or twirled for a long time and it felt damn good!! My toes weren't killing me after each dance either!! I have a feeling that for the next dance I go to, I'm going to have higher expectations for people to dance or end up sucking it up and go ask someone I don't know to dance just so I don't end up leaving depressed because I did want to dance that night, but ended up sitting on the sidelines.

Book Meme

I just read at Teeni's blog a book meme. I then wanted to do it right away! Last week I was busy going through my whole house trying to find things to sell in the garage sale when I came across a bunch of my old VC Andrews books. I just happened to be in between books, so I thought I would start reading one of the series again.

Here are the rules:

Step One – pull out a book on the book shelf.

Step Two – go to page 123.

Step Three – read and write out the 5th sentence


So the book I'm reading is Heaven, by VC Andrews. I'm doing both lines 4 & 5 because line 5 just doesn't cut it. You'll see why in a second.

"But Keith had a good appetite, even if he oes catch cold often, and they both have nightmares, so leave on a little light so the dark won't frighten them..."

"Shut up," hissed Pa again.

This book is about a girl and her family that were extremely poor and at this point they were sending her siblings to live with another family.

I love this book. I always get into them so quickly, no matter what.

Oops! Forgot!

Hello everyone! I finally have time to write on here! I feel like my life has been quite the gong show since spring started. With ball well underway, I find that we barely have time for anything. It's at the point where we have something going every day of the week, especially the weekends. Madison had won a voucher to go see the Saskatchewan Roughriders pre-season game, and we had to ask my brother if he would take the girls because that day just didn't work out for us. I just want this next month to go by fast so I don't have any commitments to things.

Here are a few of the things that we've been up to:

~ball (of course)
~cabaret (which was awesome!! much better band this year!)
~fishing, must get in some practice time before we go to Reindeer Lake in 2 1/2 weeks
~garage sale
~field trips
~trying out the Turbo Sonic x7 and have been loving it!! more details later
~doing hair on the side
~talking with my cousin who's best friend just passed away
~being a ref in the girls fights


One thing that has happened is that I have lost weight and inches!! I am so proud of myself! I'm fitting into my jeans that were very tight in winter, the legs of my pants/shorts aren't tight at all anymore and my bras are all being doneup tighter! But the thing that makes this crappy is that I'm the only one who's noticed any difference (I promise I'm not hinting at anything Laura!!). I haven't used my inhaler at all while playing ball and I find that I can play the full two games without feeing like I'm going to pass out. I really believe that the turbo sonic has helped me with this. It just helps you body absorb more things and helps with your oxygen as well.

I have also found more of a love for my flowerbeds. I have put ore work into them this year than I ever have and it's paying off. Last year I got smart and started putting in perenials and added some more this year. I keep waiting to be able to take a picture, but for some odd reason my flowers keep disappearing (wonder who would be doing that?). So my goals for this summer is to find more things are for me that I like to do, be a healthier me, be outside more and to make sure that my legs get tanned!! I find that my pains aren't nearly as bad as what they were before, which is helping out alot. I found it so hard to be able to do anything before because all of a sudden I would be hurting so bad that I would just go back and veg on the couch until Madison got home from school. But now I'm vowing not to do that and to make sure that I make the most of this beautiful weather while it's here.

Picture Post

Unwanted Answers

For the last couple of months I have had something on my mind that has really been bothering me. I have been having pain in my lower abdomen for many months now (kinda startling back in September already) and just these last two months it has been a daily pain. So I had gone to my doctor to get some answers. She had a feeling that it was due to ovarian cysts, so she set up an ultrasound and sent me for some blood work (I'll explain reasons in a bit). So after waiting a month to get in for an ultrasound the day came. It was beacuse of the ultrasound that I had to make sure I was home from BC so quickly. So there was a little awkwardness with the ultrasound that I don't want to get into, but they got what they needed. This was on April 30th. Last Wednesday I got a call from my doctor confirming that it was little cysts. But she said that they don't do anything about them unless they grow large and to keep taking advil for the pain.

Now a little more info:

There are a couple of reasons that affect me and make me wonder why they don't do anything. 1. The pain. Seriously, how good is it for me to be taking advil everyday?? They don't seem to be going away anytime soon! The pain partially comes form them popping. When I'm lying on my back the girls try sitting on me, but i have to boot them off because it hurts. Some days it just really hurts and people that don't know take it the wrong way as me being in a bad mood, depressed, etc...

2. It affects my reproduction crap. So this means I only get my period every 2-3 months. But it also means that if I were to try and get pregnant that I would have a very hard time doing so (luckily our family is already complete). We also think that I had them before I was pregnant with Mya because I was missing periods (while on the pill) and it had taken quite awhile for a test to come back positive.

3. It can affect your insulin. This is the main thing that has me worried. This is why I had to get blood work. Somehow it affects how your body makes insulin and can cause diabetes. As it is diabetes runs high in my family and now to have something else make it even higher kinda scares me.

So there it is, everything that I know about this. So now I have to do some more research and then make another appointment and talk more with my doctor.

Play Ball!!!

Well ball season has officially begun in this household. Everyone but Mya is playing this year! I can already tell that the next 6-8 weeks are going to be a gong show!! lol

So far our schedule is working out alright. Madison has games on Tuesday and practice on Thursday. Chloe has ball on Wednesdays and Cam and I will mainly play on Monday, Friday and Saturday. But our ball nights usually change from week to week, playing a minimum of two nights a week. We didn't consider how busy we would be for some odd reason! lol

Now the funny things:

Madison is playing on a team with four of her cousins (and they tend to fin trouble)

I am COACHING Chloe's t-ball (luckily they don't ever have games!! I'm new to it too!)

Cam & I play in a Christian league, so no drinking!

At Maddy's first game I had to take Chloe home so she could go to the bathroom (and I had asked her before we left home 20 minutes before!!) and missed Maddy's first time at bat!! She did hit the ball, coach pitches, and thought she should run to third instead of first!!

I love ball season and am really looking forward to it! Get all of our butts in gear and get moving more!

Grandma Humor

So I've been back home for a few days and trying to get my routine (and the families) back to normal. Harder than I thought. These last couple of days have been hard on me. When I was still in BC I was so busy that I didnt' have time to think. NOw that I'm home I have a little more time on my hands and I'm finding that's all I'm doing. But today I wasn't going to be sad. I wanted to think of happy things and be grateful for my trip. I uploaded my photos from the trip on my computer and had fun remembering when they were taken and with who. Then I remember my Grandma's comment on our first day there....

We were driving down the old highway (speed limit 60km/hr) and we saw a sign like this one (only homemade and painted on a really old piece of wood) My Grandma is a very blunt person. Her first comment was "Well that's not very nice! It's not their fault they're slow!" Then she was saying how it should say Go Slow, Children Playing. My brother and I started laughing so hard. It never even crossed our minds to read it that way.

Kevin

He didn't make it through the night. My uncle got a call at six this morning (an hour ago) telling him this.My brother had answered and they thought he was my uncle. They told him what happened but it didn't sink in until after he passed the phone on. I keep crying in spurts and then I try to think about what I can do to help. Uncle David left for town as soon as he got off the phone. He has the only vehicle. I am feeling trapped right now. I feel like I should be helping with something right now, but I have no clue as to what I can do. I'm frustrated and lost right now.

We had pretty much everyday planned. We had planeed to go be with him all morning and then some. I called Cam and my parents to let them know. I have no idea what's going on (which is to be expected) for tomorrow or today anymore. I just want to know what to do!! I've never been in the situation to be at someone's house after their son or any family dies. Now I find myself just sitting here waiting for the next phone call. I just keep praying for strength but I'm not sure how much I have left. I know there'll be more time for me to cry later, but for now I just need to be strong for them. Today is also the day that they buried Kevin's nephew (my cousin Darren's son). It should be pouring rain right now.

Going On A Trip

It's official!! I'm going to BC!!! What a pain in the butt though. It took me over eight hours to finally get flight and bus booked that worked out. We are now leaving at 6:20am tomorrow (Wednesday) morning, a day earier than planned. Turns out that this is the only flight available through air miles until next week. My brother had to take an extra day off of work, but it'll be nice to be out there a day earlier since we're leaving a day early in order to catch the bus.

We are also hoping to go see Kevin in the hospital, but that'll depend on how he's feeling since he starts chemo tomorrow. I guess he was having a really bad day yesterday. Jamie went to go visit him and I guess he barely said two words. So hopefully he's ready for this and knows that his family is there for him.

Falling Into Place

So this last week my brother and I have been scrambling to find a way to be able to attend the fundraiser for Kevin this weekend. So far we managed to talk my Dad into letting us use his airmiles for us to fly out for the weekend. Justin's boss also changed his schedule for him to have the time off. Everything was falling into place so quickly for us. Until today.

I had phoned airmiles this morning to book our flights and found out that we can't get a flight back home until late next week at the earliest. Crap. So then we started scrambling to see how else we could get home. We could take the train from Vancouver home for $210, but then we still have to take the ferry and a cab to get to the train staion which is even more money. Then we couldtake the bus. That'll be a day and a half travel and means leaving a day earlier. The price I was told was again $210. So I ended up looking on their web site and found that there was a companion rate. With this when you purchase an adult ticket you can purchase a second one for only $20!! $190 savings!! I'll take it!! But now I just have to wait and talk to my Dad since he wants us to put everything on his card. But he won't be home for another hour, which means I have to wait another hour before we can actually book anything!! I'm finding that I don't have as much patience as I once thought I had.

Next I had to find a car rental place in Duncan, BC where my family is. I was scared to find out how much it would cost to rent a car. So I found a phone number for Budget out there and found out that there is a special for people that rent the car for three days over a weekend which is only $20 a day!! I was shocked. I thought it would be a lot more than that. Also with having airmiles you get a discount on top of that. So now I'm excited!! I just need to talk to my brother and Dad to get everything confirmed and then booked!!

I'm So Happy!!!

Today was a good day. Incase you didn't notice it when you came in, my new masthead is done!!! Yay!! Unfortunately I can't take the credit for it. My wonderful sister in law, Laura, did it for me!! It turned out much better than I could have imagined!! It was well worth the wait.

Now the story behind my picture. When I was first looking for a new pic for my masthead I came across this site. I had really liked his work and had sent him an e-mail asking permission to use it. He was glad to let me and actually made the photo without the copywrite thing on it and cropped it to a better size for Laura. He was very kind about it all and I really appreciate it.

Drained.

I really wanted to come back and start blogging again on a happy feel good note, but I just can't do that right now. I just heard some news about my cousin that has shocked me so bad that I'm having trouble getting past the shock of it.

My cousin Kevin has recently been diagnosed with cancer. My family has only heard bits and pieces until yesterday, but here's the story. Back in September he was diagnosed with Chrones disease and skin cancer. He had undergone a couple of surgeries (one removing a mole on his face and the other removing two feet of intestine). Since having the mole removed the cancer has spread. It is in the back of his neck, ribs, spine, liver, pelvis, shoulder blade and can now feel it in his legs. As of three days ago he can no longer walk. He's been doing radiation and starts chemo on the 23rd. He's 32 years old.

I have been praying and crying so much lately that I am drained. My Grandma is now in a bit of a remission (her cancer is currently not spreading which we are all very thankful for) and th the news of this. Kevin is on my Mom's side and neither of his parents families have had a history of cancer.

My cousin Jamie's fiance (Kevin's brother) is putting on a big fundraiser at her work to help them out with the financial part. I just feel very blessed that we have a family that's willing to do this type of thing for him. It really makes you appreciate the family you have a lot more.

Insanity!!

I am going insane! My computer has been in for repairs for the last three and a half weeks!! Me without a computer is not a good thing. I am always on there (as most of you already know!! lol) and I am having a really hard time without it. I miss being able to go on and check out blogs, chat with family and friends, check my e-mail and most of all....do my banking. I live out in a small town, so it makes it so easy to pay my bills through internet banking. Telephone just takes forever and I don't have the patience for it.

So the company policy about repairs is a maximum of 60 days. It's now looking like I'll have to wait those full 60 days. If they can't fix it in that amount of time then I will be getting a new computer which is fine with me except for one thing. All of my pictures are on that computer!! I wasn't able to print all of them off before it quit working and now I'm scared that they are gone forever!!

I just really want to get back on here and be able to keep up with all of my blogging buddies. I hope to be up and running sometime soon and catch up on the millions of posts that I am missing out on!! Take care until then!!

Good and Bad

I just found out that my aunt is now engaged!! I'm happy for her, but at the same time I'm a little confused. They've been together for over 15 years and just now they're wanting to get married?? Umm okay. But now they are rushing the wedding so my grandma can be there (she thinks positive doesn't she??) So the wedding is set for April 12th.

As for my Grandma, things aren't going as well as everyone hoped. She went for a bone scan a couple of weeks ago to see if the medication is helping slow down the cancer from spreading. It showed more shadowing, which means that it has spread some more. Not agressively though, so that's a good thing. She had to go for further testing and now we're awaiting those results. She goes this week to talk to the doctor, so hopefully she'll have more answers then.

Redneck Fishing??

On Saturday we went out ice fishing. It was a great day since it was +1C. When we got to the lake at noon, this is what we saw....


Isn't that hilarious?? We really thought it was. We were even happier that there was no one around to see us in there!! We didn't know of anyone that we could borrow an iceshack from, so we made do with our tent. It was runied last summer by mice, so we made it into a hut. It kept us so warm. The wind ended up being really strong, so we definitely needed it.

But lets start at the beginning. When we first got there the guys were going out first on the snowmobile to find a place to set up. My friend, Amber, and I ended up laughing so hard for about 10 minutes because they were struggling. The snow was so deep (past your knees) and the hill fairly steep that it just wasn't working.

And then when they were turning around to try a different angle, they tipped the sled with all of our stuff in it.


When we finally got to our spot and set up, we cut four holes in the bottom of the tent so we could fish inside. It was so warm in there that we didn't have to wear our jackets. Perfect. We ended up catching three fish that day. This was the best one...


But the craziest parts of the day were when we suddenly got freezing rain. They hurt when they hit you in the face!! This is me covered in it...


But the best part was ending with this sunset...

Book Meme

I was tagged by Paige for this one....

The game is to
* Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
* Open the book to page 123.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post the next three sentences.
* Tag five people.


My book is "The Negotiator" by Dee Henderson

"Say that again," Dave asked quietly.

"Nathan Young."

Kate closed her eyes. The world had just become a much smaller place. She looked back at Dave and felt as if she had fallen down a spiralling hole. "So much for our Wednesday meeting with him."


No tags. Just have fun with it.

Bet You Didn't Know This!!

So I was tagged in a meme by the Diva a little while ago, and I am finally doing it now! The goal is for me to tell you 7 things about me that you might not know already. So here it goes...

1. I can't stand wearing socks. Summer is the best time because then I never have to wear them! If I do wear socks they have to be the ankel ones due to them making my legs itchy. The only time you will see me wearing socks is when I have to go out. My kids are the same way. They'll go to the babysitters and the first thing they do is take off their socks.

2. I am ADDICTED to computer games! I just tried Go Go Gourmet and loved it!! But my favorite site would have to be pogo.com They have so many different games and is free to use!!!

3. I get an allergic reaction when I eat things that contain a lot of mayonaise. Something about it makes me break out in hives and I don't know what it is that does it. If I have a tiny amount I'm fine, but in salads and stuff that are really creamy from it makes me ill.

4. I love 5 pin bowling! This was my sport growing up and I miss it. I went to provincials four times with my league. My average was usually around 220, but would probably be alot less these days!! lol

5. I collect velvet paintings. Yes, those old ones that no one wants and I find in garage sales. Cam and I both love them. Mainly the water scene ones. I really want more and if I find more then I will just have to start switching them up throughout the year.

6. My feet have grown a size and a half since high school. The extra weight must be flattening them out!! lol I was a size 7 in high school and now wear about a 8 1/2 or 9. Crazy.

7. I would much rather have something salty for a snack than sweet. i like having chocolate and stuff every once in awhile, but when having a snack I would much rather have chips or popcorn. They are so much more satisfying than that sweetness.


Now since I am late in doing this, I am not tagging anyone. If you haven't done it yet then I would love to read it!!

A Whirl Wind of a Week

This past week and a half has not been in my favor. Last weekend I went to my parents house for a few days to visit. Well, I went there Thursday night and had a low key evening. Friday everything went down hill. I had borrowed my in laws car to use for the weekend since we had people coming to look at our van. Well the keys to the car had been left on my parents kitchen table and two hours later they were gone. Great. What now? Mya is infamous for stealing keys and playing with them ( just a couple of days before that she helped me realize that the panic button on the van keys did indeed work!!) so now the hunt was on. There were four of us adults searching that house for the next three days with out any luck. There was not a single spot left unturned. We searched every shoe, drawer, vent, fishtank, coat we could think of!! Any bag that was left lying on the floor, all the toys and even the simple spots that could be thought of. We just could not find those keys!!

So this is the ironic thing. The Monday before I was out with some friends and my
mother-in-law and were talking about spare sets of keys. I happened to mention that I didn't have a spare set for my van. Right away I got a comment from my MIL saying that I should have one, blah, blah, blah. I know this, but I'm never in a store that does it! So when I lost the keys to their car I at least had the hope that they had a spare set that could be sent down to me to save my hide. But no. They didn't have a spare set. So I got that lecture when she doesn't have one either!! Grr!!

So on Monday morning we had to phone the local Ford dealership to find out if they could cut a key for us there. I had phoned right at 9am so I could get it done and go home. I gave the guys all the information (make and year) and they told me that it wouldn't be a problem to get a key cut. I just had to have the car towed there in order to do it, which was fine. So by 9:15 the tow truck was there ready to take the car for us. So Dad and I followed it up so we could be there for when it was done and to make sure we knew what was going on. As soon as we got there the car was put in the shop and ready to go. But that's where our luck seemed to end. The guy we were talking with (Cory) was new, VERY new!! Suddenly they can't cut they key because the codes to do it for that model are obsolete because it's over 10 years old!!! Why couldn't you tell me this BEFORE I had the car towed up here!?!?? Isn't that why I told you all of that information on the phone???? These kinds of questions came streaming out of Dad & I's mouths like there was no tomorrow. Seriously, how frustrating!!

So now the next step is to find a locksmith that can do it. If he can't then we have to get the whole ignition switched, which will take up to three weeks to get the part. The whole time we were talking to the locksmith, that Cory guy kept screwing up information. He would say the wrong make of car, forget to say that there were two different keys that needed to be cut, etc. So finally I just asked to talk to the guy and get things figured out. By 11:30 the locksmith came to look at the car and gave us the news that he could do it for us. Relief. But it would cost $140. Crap. But he got it done in an hour, and the first thing we did was get a spare set cut.

One thing that kept running through our minds was "as soon as we do this, they'll show up." But they still haven't.

Beautiful Prize!

I just recently learned about a contest over at Opal's Vegan Momma. It's very simple! All you have to do is check out her post (linked above), check out this new designer's website and say which dress you like the best. It's a great way to see a new designers items, and let me tell you, there were a few that I really liked!! This is one of them...



Go check her out at www.mikarose.com

Sorrow

This past week has gone by so fast and was such a blur. My friends dad passed away on January 31st. I had posted about her here. He had gone in to the hospital with pneumonia, but the next day was diagnosed with acute luekemia. He had underwent chemo with no improvement. By December the doctors told him that there was nothing they could do for him, so he went home ot be with his family. He was only 53 years old. So this past week I have been busy talking with Dana, and doing what I can to help support her. The funeral is on Friday, so I'll be going out of town to be there.

But I must say that the family is doing fairly well given the ircumstances. It's a very close family and they have tons of support from everyone they know. But no matter if you expect it or not, it's still a huge shock and I know it'll be hard for them to adjust these next few months. I'm just glad that they were able to be with him and that he's not suffering now.

Would You??

This morning it was a freezing -35 C. I was debating on whether or not I should send Madison to school. The truck wouldn't start so I decided that if I could find her a ride then I would send her. So I phoned my neighbour since she drives her kids 75% of the time. Surprisingly she wasn't planning on driving her kids until I phoned (she'll drive them in -10 weather but not -35??), but she said she would drive her.

There were other kids walking to school today as well. We don't live far from the school, it's not quite a 10 minute walk.

Now what I want to know is, would you make/let your child walk to school in these temperatures? Or would you drive them/let them stay home?

Brr!!

I am at the point where I really want and need January to be over. I am so sick of this ridiculously cold weather!! It was -50 celsius today and the schools were still open!! I still didn't send Madison to school. I wasn't about to make her walk or make the other two girls suffer by going out into that weather. It's not like they'd be doing much today anyways.

On Sunday we went to Cam's parents for supper. How stupid of us to forget that a blizzard was starting and didn't head for home until 10:30pm!! Oops. We weren't even going home in the same vehicle (he had to take his buddy's truck back the next day.)It was snowing and blowing so hard on the way home that visibilty was poor and 8" drifts were already forming on the grid roads. We weren't the only ones on the road either. The roads that we travel on are horrible to meet other cars on, especially when you can't see much. Everytime I saw headlights approaching I would cringe. One car missed the side of my van by a foot at the most. How ironic would it be if Cam got in an accident with that truck after his dad just finished fixing it for his buddy after hitting a deer? lol

I'm at the point that my mind is always running from being stuck indoors for way too long. I start thinking about things that should've been long ago forgotten, stupid things that don't deserve a second thought and things that can easily wait until later to think about. But no. My brain thinks that any thought should continue later when I'm in bed trying to sleep. Midnight and still not tired. It's going to be a long night.

Memories

My memories of the past
Keep coming back to me.
Some of them I thought were dead,
Why can't they let me be?
Did I treat you like shit?
Or was it all you?
I just can't remember
What all we went through.
I don't feel like I did you wrong.
You probably think the same.
So why do I get the chills
Everytime I hear your name?
Is there a way to get past this point?
Is there a way to be friends?
I just don't know. What do we do?
Where does this insanity end???

Household Meme

So I've been tagged by Paige to do this meme. Very simple, just post a couple of tips that other people could use. So I couldn't really think of anything much that didn't involve one of my most favorite things in the world....hairspray. So here are a couple tips that hairspray is awesome for (besides your hair!)

~ When wanting to dry out your flowers without killing them instantly, add about a half cup of hairspray (cheap brandstore) to the water. As the flowers take in the water they are also taking in the hairspray which helps keep them as is.

~ Spray hairspray on marker written walls or when you spill something on your clothes. The hairspray keeps the stain from settling. This is something I did fairly often when hairdressing. This is the only thing that kept my clothes stain free when doing colours.

Hope this helps! I know it has helped me so many times, especially with the markers!!

Welcome!!

I have a new niece!!!!

Kaitlyn Marie was born this morning at 4:45am!! She was 8lbs 15oz.

I'm so excited!! I do so much better with girls than boys. For some reason I'm just so much more comfortable with them. I can't wait to go and see them! Lisa's doing well, which is really good to hear.

Oopsy!

So can you guess who forgot to take pictures of the appetizers??? Cam!! No, it was me. I got a little busy preparing that I completely forgot!! So that means I will just have to make them again sometime soon!!

My Dad was in an accident on Tuesday. He was T-boned in the back end by a young highschool kid. He was too worried about his exam to realize that he ran a red light. He ended up missing it completely because of the accident anyways. I felt kinda sorry for him though. When Dad was on the phone with Kerry, she could hear his dad yelling at him in the background.

So now Dad has to deal with SGI and figure out what's going to happen to his car. Whether it will be fixed (they're having trouble with parts for the Impala's though) or if it will be written off. The sad thing is, they just bought this car a couple of months ago!! This is their first fairly new vehicle so he's upset about it.

But no one was hurt in the accident. May be some whiplash, but I'm just glad that there was nothing serious. I don't think I could handle my Dad in a hospital anytime soon.

In Shock

One of my favorite actors has died. I'm still in shock about it. He is one actor that I loved to watch and didn't hurt my eyes either!! My all time favorite movies by him would have to be 10 Things I Hate About You, A Knight's Tale and The Brothers Grimm.

The saddest thing that I find is his little girl. I cannot imagine what this two year old will go through. It's sad. I just wish them the best.

A Night Of Fun Ahead...

I'm so excited for tonight!! We're having some people over tonight to celebrate my birthday!! It's been awhile since we've entertained a group of friends (summer we usually just have a fire so it's just not the same!@). So far there are about 16 people coming over which means that I get to make a LOT of appetizers and snacks!!

This is one of my all time favorite things to do! I love making this kind of stuff!! Also, if I make it then I know that I can eat it (I have an allergy to mayonaise. Hives, lots and lots of hives!!). Whenver we're invited out I am always the one asking if I can bring something, especially to the Diva's.

So on the menu tonight are:

taco dip
melted cheesy pizza-y type dip
chicken croustades
pizza wonton thingy's
chocolate fundue w/ fruit and angel food cake

I think that's it. We'll have to see how adventurous I get once I start making this stuff!! I will try and take some pics to post on here of my food!! Have a great weekend everyone!!

What Are They Thinking??

After reading Kaylee's post here... it brought up another issue that has been bothering me. I really don't understand social services around here. A friend of mine currently has three young girls with her that are in foster care. She has had them for about nine months by now, and could have them for a full year, which is a good thing.

Reently SS were looking into placing these girls back into the parents care. They were having overnight visits and suddenly started coming back with nightmares for the next couple of nights. My friend talked to SS about it and they claimed it was due to night terrors that kids tend to get at that age. If it were night terrors, why would it suddenly happen and always happen after their overnight visits? A little odd don't you think?

This mother is also bipolar. She refuses to take her meds. She beleives that there is nothing wrong with her. The oldest girl is 8 and is scared of going home. Shouldn't that be sounding an alarm??? The mother had to meet with a psychologist for one hour. One hour!! Anyone can lie to someone for one hour!! Since complaints have come up, they've been limited to supervised visits only.

The main thing is if they go back to the parents and the kids get taken away again, they will never be able to have their kids again. They will become permanently placed in foster care until they are 18. This also means that they have a very good chance at being seperated, which is very sad. But I don't beleive these people deserve their kids back. They were taken away in the first place because the mother tried to kill them. She was charged with three counts of attempted murder and was let off all three charges. I beleive that if you tried to kill your kids then you don't deserve them.

The Answer

So I was persistant about finding an answer to how I suddenly became a business without me knowing. I did some more searching and ended up just going to our towns website and looked under businesses. Low and behold, that's where it's listed. So apparently I'm a business now!! I have no idea how my name was added and I phoned the town office and they had no idea. They also always check with people to make sure that they want to be added, so she was shocked that I didn't know. At least I have my answer now.

I'm Confused!!

Earlier today I got a phone call from another town resident asking about how much a ladies haircut is. I know it sounds stupid for me to write about this, but just wait. The only time I get a call about doing hair is when someone I know refers me, and I usually know this is the case when the person says "I got your number from so and so and heard that you do hair." But this was not one of these calls. I never know what to say since I don't have an actual salon. Do I promote myself? Do I refer them? So I ended the call just telling her that I'm not a salon.

But this is not the first call I've had like this. I've already had close to ten. How do these people find my number? It's a small town number, so it can't be just by chance. Finally my curiousity got the better of me and I got out the phonebook. After five minutes of looking and not finding a thing, I phoned her back to find out how she came across my number (thank you call display!!). So it turns out that she found my number on the internet under "Family Hair Care" in our town. Now how can I be listed as a business on the internet when I'm not a business and never did anything of that sort??? I tried to find where she found it, but have had no luck at all. I looked under our phone company phone book search and I also Googled about a dozen different terms to try and find it. I found some other local salons, but nothing close to my number.

I just don't know how to explain this. I'm totally at a loss of how to find this information. I didn't want to really freak her out by bugging her more since she couldn't remember exactly how it came up. Bah. I'll be thinking about this all day now!

A Busy Night

So today has been a busy day. My sister and two of my cousins are down. They all needed their hair done as well as some waxing done before leaving on their trip to Mexico. One thing about living close to the city is I end up being the one asked to drive them to the airport and a place to stay until then. I don't mind, but after a long evening of doing hair and having to take them their at 3:00am makes for a busy day.

I'm looking forward to this. Two of them have never even left this country and have only been on a plane once (if ever). So it'll be fun to see their excitement as they're ready to go.

Happy New Year!

I always find the New Year hard. I find that when it comes I'm not usually ready to get back into the swing of things. Slowly my routine has started to come back and I'm finding myself on the computer more once again. I really enjoyed Christmas this year. My family came here for Christmas which meant no travelling for us this year. Cam was off from the 21st to the 2nd which I really enjoyed. Of course he had some of his own work to do, but we got a lot of family time in. We took the girls to the little sledding hill at the school and took turns on our crazy carpets. Mya had a lot of fun and even walked up the hill by herself everytime.

But one thing that is making it hard to get back into routine is the dreaded flu. It attacked me on Saturday, Madison on Sunday and Chloe today. Fun, fun, fun. I'm just hoping that it stops here.

I really want to post some more pictures, but until I clear some of the ones already on the computer, I can't load anymore on it.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and a very Happy New Year! I'm not one for resolutions, but maybe this year I might make a couple of small ones. Not sure yet.