Pix from Good Friday Hike

Our last hike from Leigh and Enid's beautiful home on the escarpment. They are movin' on up to the east side (of Hamilton).

 We had a great turnout.

 Lots of kids.

 Lots of mud.

 Lots of hogging of baby Sydney by cousin Rochelle.

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Last night at dinner, we were talking about the tradition of eating fish on Good Friday. Leah was pleased to point out our tradition of eating hot dogs every Good Friday.   

On the bright side...

1. Evann seems to be able to walk around on her broken toe without too much discomfort.
2. Whoever stole my purse was thoughtful enough to leave my driver's license and health card in my wallet before tossing it on the side of a trail by the high school.
3. One credit card borrowed and returned by Carson hadn't made its way back into my wallet and was safely tucked away in my desk.
4. Apparently $1,800 to replace my bumper and headlight is a good deal. And I can use my air miles card to collect lots of points. (Once I get it replaced.)
5. No one was hurt. Physically.
6. Bruises to the ego build character.
7. I was reminded yet again that my intuition is really good. I just need to act on it more quickly and forcefully.
8. I have an amazing family. Some day we will look back and laugh at the Easter weekend from, uh, not heaven.

Taking stock

One of my loyal readers (whom I love sooooo much) thinks I need to slow down and take up knitting. Well, she admitted that she couldn't see me knitting, with a cat in my lap, but thought that I should slow down.  


On the stress scale, any one of half dozen issues we are dealing with right now would have a huge impact on one's physical and emotional health.  Yes, sometimes I feel like I am smothering under a heavy blanket of uncertainty.  But I really feel that, except for the occasional times I freeze, or "act out",  I have a pretty good handle on things and have learned to not sweat the small stuff.  (Or maybe only sweat the small stuff!)


This is largely due to the HUMONGOUS support network of family and friends that I can lean on - starting with the amazing group living under this roof.  I have learned that it is OK to ask for help. I am healthy. I have a beautiful and loving nuclear and extended family.  I have the best girlfriends that any gal could ask for. And some pretty awesome guy friends.  My amazing colleagues are the reason I enjoy going into work each day. 


I have a great (and affordable) hairdresser.
Baseball season is starting.
Flowers are growing in my garden.
My car starts every time I turn the ignition.
I have a place to lay my head at night.
Cousin Kyran will be in town soon to read from her new book at the author's festival.
Carson is starting to cook and is impressing us with her fabulous meals.
Evann and I hardly ever mix up each other's Invisalign braces anymore. Yeah, gross!
Leah still hugs me when I come from work every night.
Larry will find a way to get us crazy cousins to the airport one night to get away for a mystery weekend -  "You just need a passport and a credit card."
My house has been clean and tidy EVERY DAY FOR THE PAST TWO MONTHS.
Biking weather is almost here.
I am loved. And liked. 


Gratitude and perspective go a long way in helping me cope with my topsy-turvy, teeter-totter, whirlwind life.  


The knitting will just have to wait.

Topsy-turvy teeter-totter whirlwind week

Tuesday

• lost wallet and passport (not mine - ahem!)
• found wallet and passport (thank you honest cabbie)
• 25 minutes to get to connecting flight (Terminal D to Terminal B)
• connecting flight cancelled
• scotch

Wednesday

• home sweet home

Thursday

• work email backlog cleared
• email: Chris is gone. Another member of our baseball community dies of cancer.
• Minister's briefing not cancelled
• phone call while walking to Minister's briefing: Opa's in the hospital

Friday

• great performance review
• Opa hasn't stabilized
• 4:11 p.m. rush request for information by end of day
• 5:34 train leaves without me
• 7:15 meet cousins in Hamilton for dinner
• 7:15 - 1:00 laughter, silliness and love that soothes my soul

Saturday

• Omi reports that Opa had a bad night
• still cleaning the house when the first group arrives a half hour early for the house showing
• afternoon plans shelved when reminded about baseball draft that afternoon
• reunite with the GALS and meet my new team
• dinner plans awry 
• evening out cancelled at last minute
• two attempts at picking up a daughter from work expend too much gas, energy, emotions and spoil a meal
• Ev & girlfriend keep Leah company while I go to bed early

Sunday

• lemon squares baked and ready for bridal shower
• tomato sauce prepped and ready to reheat for dinner and load of laundry done
• Avry has time in her schedule to travel with us to Caledonia for the shower
• two attempts at wrapping 3 sided box expend too much energy and paper
• new reusable shopping bag makes a perfect gift bag
• Leah is finally convinced her outfit is fine
• Gramma advised we are running late
• whiteout conditions on highway
• severe winds on Skyway bridge only feel like strong winds
• hugs to and from Gramma and Grampa after two long months away
• shower isn't at 1:00, but 2:00!
• we aren't late, we're early?!?
• tea break
• hail, snow, rain on the next leg of the drive
• meet the bride-to-be and catch up with family
• Mom, Aunt Mary and cousin Janice delivered safely back home
• cuddles and kisses to a cooing baby Sydney when Avry was dropped off home
• time stops as Leah and I visit Opa in the hospital for the first time
• tears and hugs (and fears that maybe Leah shouldn't have seen Opa so sick?)
• tears and a sprinkle donut on the ride home from the hospital
• dinner and fun conversation with Ev and Leah
• main floor vacuumed and washed
• Rob and Omi fed
• Omi says that Opa was so happy to see Leah
• Carson and Andrew cook and catch-up
• kitchen cleaned (again)
• Monday plans misunderstood, repeated, confirmed (I think)
• bedtime is near

Home Sweet Home

A day late.

Our connecting flight was cancelled. The plane we were supposed to catch in Philadelphia did not arrive from Toronto.  So we had to stay overnight.  The view from our room at the airport Ramada sure was different from our hotel in Orlando:

Florida for 5 days was nice get-away. I never did connect with Adam and the gang.

We had a mix of relaxing times and some action filled ones.  Our shopping sprees were a bit of both...

The novelty of eating out for every meal wears thin pretty fast. It's hard to find a good variety of healthy food.  The T-Rex restaurant in Downtown Disney was a lot of fun though.  And of course, everyone working at the restaurants and shops were friendly and courteous.

While I enjoyed my time with these girls, it was great to get home to my family.  A few hours after getting home, Leah bounced in the door with her brand new purple cast! 

Ah yes, lots of excitement while I was away.

When I checked in with the family on Saturday, Evann was the only one who responded.  She shared her insight into the mysterious rituals of Brandon's First Communion ceremony.  She also commented that when she saw how much money Brandon was given, she was now rethinking the benefits of religion.  Oh and "dad took Leah to Emerg to check out her arm".

Insert mother's guilt here. 

It took several texts and phone calls to explain why Leah looked like this by late Saturday afternoon:

Yeah - this is the picture I was sent - and it looks a lot smaller on a blackberry.
I think she is smiling. 
I think she will forgive me for not being there. 
I think this would have happened even if I had stayed home.


Seems our little jock was playing with some friends at the school and took a bad fall.  Her chin was bleeding profusely which must have obscured the pain in her wrist.  Leah was escorted home by her friends and Carson patched up her chin.  Only the next morning did Leah mention that her arm was sore.  When the adults had a look, they found that her wrist was quite swollen. By then they were all dressed and ready to head out to Brandon's First Communion. As soon as the service was over, Rob whisked Leah to the hospital where the doctor on call thought that she had fractured one of the bones in her wrist, but the x-rays were inconclusive. He encased her arm in a splint and booked an appointment for Leah to meet with the fracture specialist this week.

Today was her appointment. More x-rays revealed that she had dislocated a bone in her wrist. The doctor said that this was to be treated like a fracture, and needed to be in a cast for at least 4 weeks.  A purple cast of course:

She is not supposed to play any sports while in the cast.  Leah told me that she tried to hide her splint from the track and basketball coaches on Monday. Apparently word got around pretty quick about her injury.  

Not surprising - the cast hasn't slowed her down at all.  After dinner, the two of us walked around the block throwing a football back and forth the entire time.  And no, I would not call that a sport!  We were both just letting off some steam...  

I think we will both be fine. (Until she finds out that she won't be able to try out for the rep hockey team next weekend!)

It's good to be home.

Poolside

...in Orlando.

I'm taking advantage of a last-minute opportunity to chaperone Brigid's 13 year-old daughter and daughter's girlfriend while Brigid is at a conference. The conference doesn't kick off til Sunday night so we have some time for the four of us to explore, swim, shop and hit every ride in Universal Studios.

Adam, Yvonne and kiddies are flying down tomorrow. Their trip has been in the works for months. They gave Mom a grocery list a week ago. Some people are so organized...

Even though we live 20 minutes apart, we find it hard getting together back home. But we think we are going to be able meet up sometime Monday. In Disney. Mom and Dad are going to try to make it as well. They are spending their last week at Ken and Pat's - which I think is less than an hour from here.

Organized and optimistic - that's our family!

Wine, women and wishful thinking

Whoo-eee! Just back from another one hour walk and talk with a girlfriend.  I was pretty proud of myself for thinking that I had managed to get in 2 one-hour walks and an hour bike ride within the last 5 days.  Then I checked my calendar and saw that my first gal-pal-power-walk-and-talk was 2 Saturdays ago.  Damn.  Ah well, it's a start.

What has been keeping me off the streets?  Besides keeping the house in order for showings, work, driving kids all around town, hockey parties and welcoming Irma and Leo back home?  A cold - that has almost run its course.  The day I was home nursing my stuffy nose and head, I dragged myself out to Leah's last basketball game of the season.  She had missed a few games as she had sprained her ankle last week (playing soccer with the boys at recess). Thankfully Carson was home that day - with my car - and was able to pick up Leah from school and take her to a walk-in clinic to confirm that the sprain wasn't too serious.

I was looking forward to watching Leah play. This is her first season and she is having lots of fun.  During the warm up I could see that her ankle was still bothering her.  She was in the starting line-up (on a team of grade 6 - 8 girls, Leah being one of the youngest players), and got the team's first basket. And made this foul shot ("Mom, you can't see the ball in this picture!"):

The coach took her out for most of the last quarter.  Despite her assurances that her ankle was fine, both the coach and I could see a pronounced limp to her gallops down the court.  Time for a rest and a chance for the other girls to play.  Guess who wasn't happy with that call?

The big girls have been busy with their part-time jobs - both of them thrilled with the disposable income at their - uh - disposal.  Carson is saving for a car and Ev just paid a deposit on a class trip.  It's interesting that all three of us are taking a crash course in money management right now. So far I haven't had to borrow money from them...

I spent an enjoyable evening last week at a local wine-tasting event.  The one down-side to that night was that the only pen I had on hand to take notes was a big fat sharpie. Usually I love to write with it, but the pairing was all wrong with the wine comment sheet we were given.  I'm still trying to decipher my notes:

Let's see - the 2008 Pisoni Teroldego had "a good spine of acidity". And that 2007 Cave de Montlouis Sec, a chemin blanc, was too young.  These of course were not my observations, but that of Tony Aspler, a noted wine journalist.  Tony was witty, gracious, informative and not the least bit snooty.  None of the wines we tasted were over $19.95.  Of course, these wines were chosen for their potential to improve their flavour (and value) after a few years of cellaring - that is putting away for a few years.   Those of us without custom made wine cellars (the woman seated beside me designed and built her home around her dream wine cellar) were given a crash course on how to turn a corner of a basement closet into the ideal place to store a few dozen bottles of wine.

Very inspiring for a gal who loves good wine and has some daughters she can line up as investors to share in the dividends a few years down the road.  Motherhood has its rewards.