that's right, eh?

10 Things I love about being home...

1. Hearing the accents all over again. House, about, flag, bag, tag. Awesome.
2. Hearing "eh" on a regular basis, especially from my eldest sister.
3. My nieces and nephews. So cute, so funny, and sometimes so cuddly.
4. Reconnecting with old friends... especially engaged ones.
5. Snow covered mountains.
6. Eating chocolate upon chocolate.
7. Having mom make breakfast, most dinners and generally spoiling us with food.
8. Roast beef dinner with yorkshire puddings (thanks sis).
9. Going to a hockey game (oh how I miss that sport).
10. It actually feels like Christmas.

Merry Christmas everyone.

May your day be Merry and Bright!!!

only me

Thank you all for your well wishes... I am on the mend... so much so that I was able to go ice skating with my girls at work today.

The recreational therapist asked if I would show her how to do a "hockey stop" on skates. Seeing as I was an experienced skater (thanks to my heritage), I happily obliged. Midway through the stop the blade of my skate flew off... which meant I fell down. All I could do was laugh. And although I was shocked, of course something like that happened to me. I'm naturally clumsy so it makes perfect sense to have a skate malfunction. She had to help me off the ice as I'm not quite talented enough to skate on one foot.

Now to find out how much it costs to replace the blade.

baby

I've been bragging most of the Fall that I hardly ever get the flu. They were doing vaccines on Friday and when the nurse asked if I was getting it, I said "No, I don't believe in those things." Well, I still don't believe in them but my bragging days are over.

For the most part I consider myself a grown up. I own my own place, my own car, and have a good job. But when I'm lying on the floor of my bathroom and praying that this will be the last time I will throw up all I can think of is "I want my mommy." Funny how being ill takes you back to your childhood days of Mom taking care of you, rubbing your back, getting you Gingerale. I revert back to being a baby. To make matters worse, I was so sore from my run on Saturday. So walking down my stairs was painful... on top of being weak from losing any kind of fluids or nutrients in my body. That is when a split-level house truly bites you in the a**. Gratefully it was a short-lived flu. I thought I was well enough to return to work today but after 3 hours of being there, I realized I could have used another day of rest. In that short time I had kicked a girl out of my office after only 5 minutes and spent another family session in a total haze. I came home with some paperwork to do and the only thing I managed to get down was take a 3 hour nap. I've eaten some toast and soup and think I'll be able to return to work tomorrow. Hopefully this means that I won't get sick at Christmas.

And I know that I will always call out for Mommy when I'm sick.

things that must go

Well the only thing I have energy to write about is one thing that really must go...

Public groups on Facebook for people getting married

Sure there are lots of clever ways to state they're getting hitched. Recent ones I've seen "So and So and their Carnival of Love", "So and So are getting married!!!!", "Team So and So. We're getting married!!!" And no, I am not a bitter single woman. I just don't understand why people will give out their address in a group that is public content. Anyone can access it.

People... make your group private or better yet, send a personal email or phone call asking for addresses you don't have. I guess I still believe that weddings should be for close family and friends so getting an address shouldn't be too difficult OR too public.

There I said it.

*If you, or someone close to you, has had one of these groups, this is not a personal attack. But really, it must go!

before and after

So I still need to hang pictures and decorate, but here are some photos of the paint job.

Living room (many thanks to my folks for helping me with this huge task)

Before:

After:

Bedroom Before:

After: (Sis, please note the bed is made better... just for you!)

nothing but the truth

There are times when I sit in therapy wondering what important details my clients are omitting from their stories. Details that would likely help them (and help me help them) in making some changes. Changes that would make their life better. I can't force it out of them. I can't always be sure my intuition is right. But I choose to believe I'm brilliant so I must be right!

And there are times outside of my work life when information would enlighten a situation. It seems like this week was full of unknown details that came to light. It isn't anything I want to publicly write about... I guess I too want to omit certain details in this forum. I do know that I'm grateful for a new week and I hope for less surprises. I hope for more loose tongues and upfront, straightforward discussions in all spheres of my life.

distracted or clumsy?

I have always stated that I am just clumsy. But lately I've been wondering if the real problem is being distracted... which leads to clumsy. Regardless, a screwdriver hitting me in the head still &%*$# hurts.

The good news... my bedroom is finally painted!

A handy painting tip for high walls - don't leave a screwdriver on top of the ladder. When you move the ladder you could end up with a very nasty surprise.

giggles

Usually my house is quiet and peaceful... except when some unwanted visitors paid a visit two weeks ago (not my parents, but the mice they so lovingly disposed of for me). I loved having my parents around. I don't think I've eaten that well in months. And they even helped me paint the place. I couldn't ask for better parents.

But tonight was a special night filled with little kid laughter. My two nieces christened my home with giggles and dancing and singing. We snuggled under blankets, they each ate their chocolate treat of choice and introduced me to the world of High School musical. Parker managed to set off a mouse trap which gave her a good fright and me a good reason to say "probably time for bed." As Parker snuggled in super close in the bed, with her arm draped across my stomach and her stuffie (aka stuffed animal) wedged between us, digging in to my back, I could only smile. Tonight this place felt even more like a home.



On the agenda tomorrow: Lucky Charms. Isn't it every Auntie's job to sugar them up before the folks pick them up???

time to sleep

It's a sign that you should have been asleep an hour ago when you use nail polish remover instead of eye makeup remover.

My right eye is not burning anymore and I seem to be able to see out of it okay. But about 10 minutes ago as I swiped my cotton ball on my eye I quickly realized I hadn't used to the right bottle. It burns folks, it burns.

One of these days I am going to seriously hurt or maim myself.

what do you call it?

It's not irony... I think... since Alanis Morrisette's song does not apparently contain "ironic" situations. But definitions are not my strong suit.

So readers, tell me what you would actually call this true event:

A person spends an hour talking with teenage boys about how to be mature and appropriate in relationships. She takes some time and effort in telling them that communication is key, and that you have to learn how to have real discussions. Texting, IM'ing is not really talking. You can mask your insecurities, show more courage and boldness without having to face the person. She hopes they have taken just a kernel of what she said to develop healthy, mature relationships.

An hour later she receives a text message from a man she has never met. He could be a perfectly nice person. He was given her information by a mutual acquaintance... a set-up of sorts. He asks her out over text. They don't even know what their voices sound like. She wishes he had listened to her advice that she gave to teenagers just an hour ago... and wondering if this is really what the adult dating world has also come to.

So, is this irony? Word aficionados please help.

This is not meant to slam this person or make fun or be cruel. It's just a huge pet peeve of mine when people use impersonal means to start/initiate relationships or hide behind their fears or insecurities. I worry that the younger generation is losing all of their communication skills because they don't even talk on the phone anymore. I'm a fan of the text, don't get me wrong... but timing and situations need to play a role in to when it is used.

posse

Sometimes I envision a posse of past pets (dogs) roaming around Heaven. Maybe not crazy Jiggs or nutty Ben... but Albert and Breta would be the best of friends... The top dogs of all the pets we've had. Ted's iguanas and geckos might be tagging along when they're not "too cool for school." And if Jiggs has learned to quit barking up in Heaven, the head honchos might let him play. That dog could be so annoying, but it was nice to finally have a dog I could put on my lap!

I might be off my rocker, but yesterday I had this image of my sister's dog Charlie jumping and licking and playing with the rest of the crew up there. His hair would still be in his eyes, and he would be as lovable and hugable as ever.

My sister once told me that getting Chuckie was the best decision of her single life. He adjusted well to her marriage and loved her kids... and they all loved him. As hard as it is to say goodbye to a sweet member of the family, I wonder how enriched my life would be if I could come home to an unconditionally loving pup. But saying goodbye is hard, really hard. And when it came to saying goodbye to our past dogs, I had a hard time remembering "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." (Oh Dr. Seuss, so wise)

As far as becoming a pet owner, I haven't decided yet. But one thing I do know is that all dogs DO go to Heaven.

when bad things happen to good people...

...who procrastinate.

Due to some bad business practices of my "former" bank surrounding my past potential mortgage with them, I decided to switch banks once I actually bought my home with a new lender. I pulled out most of my money and left just a little bit to cover the last automatic withdrawals that would happen before I could switch it all over. That was several months ago. I kept thinking I should close the account but it wasn't on my priority list, and hey, I do procrastinate. So, I was going through my secondary email accounts that I don't check every day when I saw an alert that I was in overdraft with my former bank. What the heck?! Having never been in overdraft I was mortified and confused as to how that could happen.

Turns out that a year ago I authorized my AAA account to use automatic withdrawal. Well, that yearly payment from my OLD bank account put me in to overdraft. Awesome. To top it off, I continued to get a daily charge for each day I was in the red. And because I don't often check that one email account, I've been in debt for three days. So I decided to deposit a cheque tonight to clear it all up and to once again feel like a financially responsible person... until I remembered that my debit card from that bank had expired. I shredded the new card last month because I was closing the account. Are you all following me here? So, now I get another daily charge until I can go in to the bank and deposit the necessary money. Then can you guess what I'm going to do? Yup, close that damn account... which I should have done months ago.

Lesson learned.

Oh, and I still hate that bank. Yes, I hate you WELLS FARGO.

late nights

I have this bad habit that I stay up late when my schedule changes. Since I'm going camping with my work girls tomorrow I suddenly think I'm on vacation. I'm forgetting that I'm going to be camping with them for three day and will be "working" 24 hours a day rather than my usual 8-9. I'm thinking this night owl routine is going to kick me in the butt tomorrow at about 3 p.m. Either that or the girls. Ha ha.

Wish me luck!

i'm the king of the world...

You know it's a good vacation when it involves Titanic re-enactments. I went to Vancouver Island earlier this month to spend some quality time with my folks, sister and her two adorable kids. It was what a vacation should be.

We rode a ferry (and saw Orca's on the way back)

Went to Sooke and went on some cool ziplines

Enjoyed the scenery in Sooke

Checked out Victoria Harbour

Sailed!

And rode some rides in Seattle.

This picture really epitomizes how fun the trip was.

Other non-pictured highlights...
-Watching Parker catch rain with her mouth which resulted in a soaking top
-Finally getting ice cream at the Big Moo
-Running by the ocean
-Being told by the Sushi man that I have a "nice shape and beautiful."
-Retelling family sailing stories, especially those involving my little brother
-Having my sister catch me from gossiping about a stranger that happened to be on the same bus as us

timp

Timpanogos at sunrise... need I say more?

Well, I will... For those of you that don't know Timpanogos is the looming peak just up Provo Canyon. I have wanted to hike this mountain for years and this summer WAS the year. We started our hike at 2 a.m. with our headlamps, toques, and snacks. We reached the summit just as the sun came up and it was spectacular... and cold! We decided to go down the glacier but at 7 a.m. the snow was more ice than snow which made for a dangerous trek down (Chris's back is living proof).

Great company and great views. I loved it!

biking aftermath!

Pictures don't quite do justice to this spectacular bruise! I'm kind of proud of it. My own badge of honour.

And to give you a size perspective:

mountain falling

Yesterday Aaron took me on my first mountain biking adventure at Sundance. While my road biking skills helped me know how to clip in to my pedals, that's about all it helped me with! I found it harder to clip out of my pedals, which resulted in some spectacular crashes. We started out by riding the lift and then biking down. After the first ride down the trail I was ready to quit! I had managed to hit a tree, scratch up my hip, arm and ego!

Aaron took a different approach and took me up a trail first, coaching me to "pedal, pedal, pedal." The second trail was beautiful but scary. There were several parts where I had to avoid looking to the left as there was nothing to stop me from falling down a steep ledge if I wiped out (which wasn't too difficult a task for me).


I gained a bit more confidence and the view was definitely worth the work.


Aaron did "force" me to practice going over a tree root. I did it, but looking at the picture reminds me that I clearly have some biking form to work on.


My last spill put me out of commission. I was able to stand up and laugh it off but my elbow wasn't laughing. Today I have some pretty impressive bruises and scratches. It was definitely an experience. I'm not sure I'm a convert yet, but I'm glad I finally tried it out. It will take a lot more practice to feel like I can conquer it... but maybe... maybe I'll go again...

ridin' low

Another reason to pull your pants up to a proper fit (this one's for you J-Bug)!

surprise!

I really wasn't going to come home... but I knew I couldn't resist if everyone else was there. So just over a week before the Bostonians were coming, I booked a flight with my points. With my sister as my accomplice I decided to surprise the family. There were some double takes, a punch in the arm, and maybe a few tears (crier will remain anonymous). The surprises were fun... but not as fun as the whole week.

Highlights:
1. The stampede with the kids. Smiles, holding hands, screams on the rides, allergies in the barns.

2. The stampede with the adults. Chuck wagons, rides, brother screaming like a girl on rides, sister laughing so hard she was crying on the ride, caramel apples x 2.
3. Mocha mud pies, laughing so hard on the way home, kid wearing my glasses with a fake smile.

4. Sunday afternoon drive, Kananaskis country, renewed love of my homeland.
5. Games, laughs, brain scars, more laughs.

Lowlights:
1. Feeling sick from so much junk food.
2. Two days of pouring rain, no beach days, nasty tan lines still in force.
3. Running out of time.
4. Saying goodbye to everyone for another year.

The time always goes so quickly. I always have intentions to see others or do something different but in the end I want to absorb as much of the family as possible. The kids are so funny and always changing... and I want to be a part of that as much as possible. I love every one of them.

uh oh

Bad Idea:

The AC is out in my car. It's pushing 90F/32C outside. I am driving home and talking on the phone with the windows rolled up so my friend doesn't feel like he is in a wind tunnel. I'm sweating profusely but I need to finish this conversation. It lasts about 20 minutes. I get home and am a hot, sticky mess.

Result:
My keypad is no longer working properly. Too much moisture. Maybe it will work tomorrow. Some users on the internet said it might.

Probably my Result:
I'll have to get a new phone.

But hey, at least I wasn't texting!

when in rome...

Do you have to do as the Romans?

I have been solicited three times to donate to my local scouting troop. For $35 I will have the American flag placed on my lawn each holiday. I want to support the scouts but I don't really have a desire to have the flag. While I know I am living in the USA, I'm Canadian... so I am not really patriotic to the country or the flag. Don't get me wrong, I have amazing friends, love my job, love many things about where I'm living. I just don't really have warm feelings when I hear the anthem or see the flag.

So tonight when a man came by yet again, I said "Well, I'll think about it but I'm not American... so..." And his response?

"When in Rome, do as the Romans."

Sorry man, that's not a selling point. In fact it reiterated why I don't want it. When in Rome, I can love the history, the food, the people, the weather and that I'm a Canadian hanging out in Rome.

busy body

I will admit that I was "technically" breaking Utah's new law of texting and driving. However, sitting at a stoplight does not "technically" mean you are driving. So, I took advantage of a very long red light and started texting a friend back. An old bird, with a dyed black coif, in a huge white SUV with a Utes sticker plastered on her door honks her horn at me. I look over and she's shaking her head and finger and me. Not one to be told what to do, especially from strangers, I roll my eyes at her, shake me head back and go back to texting.

As the light turns green, she is straining her neck to try and read my license plate. When it dawns on her that I don't have a front plate, she slows down to 15 mph. I laugh and slow down too. Not only is she a bossy, busy body but she thinks I'm stupid enough to pass her. Realizing that her tactics are greatly slowing traffic she speeds up a bit. At the part when it is clear we will be going different directions she tries to slow down again. No luck lady, I'm on to you.

I guess I should have let her get my plate just for kicks. Maybe her vigilante tactics would have helped her feel better about herself. The cops couldn't do anything about it if she did call... and I'm sure they have more important things to deal with... like forcing people to water their lawns.

Oh busy bodies. Life would be so much better without them.

read...

If you have a moment, click on the "I read Nie Nie" icon on the side of my blog. I usually tear up when I read her posts, but today especially. Her life puts my own in to perspective. I would only hope to have her faith and optimism if I were to experience a near death tragedy that left me burned that badly.

I try to explain to my girls at work that life will be full of ups and downs. The least of their struggles will be in a residential treatment centre... but I know full well that they rarely believe this. For most up to this point, this is the biggest challenge they have faced. They can't fathom that life after 18 does not magically erase any hardship or obstacle. Some will live life with goodness and hope, while some will sadly continue their destructive path to a sad and tragic life.

It's about choice and what we do with the one thing we have control over. Even my fortune cookie had it right today!

"Your choices at the moment will be good ones. Trust yourself"

4:28:04

I may not be the fastest, but I'm not the slowest. On May 16th, 2009 I completed my first marathon. That's 26.2 miles (42km) of running. 

And for a former lazy, excuse making asthmatic that was an accomplishment. Three years ago I couldn't run more than a mile without huffing and puffing. I thought about that as I ran the beautiful Ogden course. The sun was out, there was a slight breeze and I felt strong. About mile 17 the song on my iPod came on "Ain't no mountain high enough, ain't no valley low enough..." and all I could do was smile. I knew I would finish the race. I knew I still had energy to burn.

Kristina joined me about mile 20 and it was awesome to see a familiar face. She kept me sane for the last two miles and cheered me on as I ran to the finish. My quads were on fire but all I could think of was "I am finishing a freaking marathon. I did it. I could do it. I AM doing it." I came in under 4 hours 30 minutes, which was my goal. And I even felt good enough to know this wasn't going to be my last marathon. Now I have a time to beat.

There are a few life moments that make me feel pretty damn proud. My master's, my new house... and finishing a marathon. Because there really is no mountain high enough.

only something i could do

Have I mentioned that I'm clumsy? Probably every other month.

Tonight?

I was going to sit down with a glass of water to meet my marathon hydration needs (t-4 days) when I hit the cup on the couch. The glass flew out of my hand and right in to my purse. GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL! 

Water quickly spilled to the bottom. I pulled out my wallet, keys, phone, gum, receipts, gas bill etc etc. ALL WET.  The purse is now inside out drying on the counter. The other things are almost dry. I'm pretty suave. I know. 

family

Today I have been feeling rather sentimental and not just because it's Mother's Day. I've had one of those weeks where my preference is to hang by myself, stew in my thoughts and curl up in bed with a good book or my laptop. Today as I browsed old photos I thought back to all sorts of childhood memories. The biggest fights I had with my siblings back then was not being included to play or being told I had to stay on my half of the room. The eldest sister just plain out ignored most of us (I think my one brother was occasionally included in a conversation). I don't remember fighting much with my older brothers until probably the teenage years. And little brother, he was just the thorn in my side who took my spot as the youngest child. Talk about a blow to my little four year old self. That took 15 years to get over.

Now we're all grown and they all have families of their own. Sometimes it's hard to believe that they also go by Mom and Dad. We've all become different people, relationships have changed but we're still connected because of our Mom and Dad. That family bond can't really break, regardless of the grown up problems that do exist. I still marvel at my parents raising six of us. Babysitting more than two kids can make me feel insane. I can't even image having one of my very own running around, screaming, yelling, laughing, telling me no. But my parents did that SIX times over. They have six times the stress and six times the joy that I have. I'm not sad that I'm not a mother, I'm not even jealous. Sometimes I am actually relieved that I don't have kids. But I do wonder what it feels like to be so in love and so responsible for another person. It must be worth it because people don't usually stop at one.

The bottom line is that I am happy to have such a functionally dysfunctional family. Grown ups that will compete in Indian leg wrestles or jump rope competitions. Siblings that still get heated over forgotten mashed potatoes or no pumpkin pie. Parents that will send me a house warming card. A SIL that sets me up on a random date because she wants me to move closer to them. Nieces and nephews that put on "talent" shows.

We're our kind of crazy, which fits me just just right. 

lowbrow

I can't help it, but after spending 20 minutes on failblog.org, this one made me laugh the hardest and the loudest. Just thinking about it cracks me up.


see more pwn and owned pictures

sometimes a sister knows

This week has been hectic with all the deadlines and unknowns. As I sat in my office feeling rather deflated my sister sent a link that brightened my day...

WOW

If you take a few minutes it might brighten your day too. I know that Boston will for sure brighten my week. Until then, I will just watch this on repeat. Enjoy!

flexibility is the name of the game

Early in March, the Smiths decided to take a bunch of newbies on a rappelling trip to St. George. Problem was... snow. While we waited for Chris and his sidekick to check out the road conditions, Mike built a fire in the middle of the road. Jennie showed it off beautifully even if she was a wee bit mad that she was in the photo. Too bad we didn't have marshmallows.

The boys came back and thought the road might be a bit too sketchy (well, if they were without the first-timers they would have braved on) so we turned back and decided to hike Angel's Landing.

After this point Penny decided to wait while the rest of us trucked on. We made it to the top alive with just a bit of tingly hands and feet.



Then we ate a little lunch with Penny, headed back to the condo, and then crossed State lines for a little entertainment. It was one of those places where there is a lot of smoke, things called "chips" and all sorts of games. I met an "interesting" man from Canada who lived in an RV. He wanted to dance and I didn't. He wanted to give me his business card and I didn't want it (thank goodness he didn't have one on him). There are some Canadians I don't care to hang out with. We had a lot of laughs and even though we only did one rappel, I hope I get invited again.

Thanks for a great weekend Smiths!

march is madness

I can't believe it's April, partly because we've had more snow the last few weeks than most of January or February. And well, life has been hectic. When I move in to my house, I can actually unpack the box that has my camera cord. With that handy little device I can charge my dead camera battery and upload photos from my trip to St. George and Moab... and my completed house. There have been hikes, baby rappels, and a half marathon. My house is done, long story but I'm not in in yet. Hopefully a week or two more.

Until then, you can all enjoy a fabulous sign my friend HRH spied at Venice Beach way back in the day (November 2008 seems eons ago). 

The idea of men's bikinis is almost as frightening as the grammar. You think the sign company would have told the owner that they were puffing on the ganja a bit too much and make the necessary correction.

And even when you live in the USA, there is always a little taste of home kicking around.

things seen at church

1. A helium balloon make its way up to the chapel. I'm still not sure where the blue balloon came from but I think it was really wanting a shot at the pulpit. 

2. A woman tripping over something in the aisle during Sunday school. Although I could feel her mortification, I was impressed that she ran through the trip and never hit the ground. It was actually something to be proud of. I would have gone down HARD. 

3. Then in the final hour (seriously, who came up with three hours worth of church!?!?!), the teacher's button on her blouse came undone. The bra looked supportive, yet cute but didn't quite match her hot pink top. I'm not exactly sure when she noticed it was undone because I was distracted by the flirting 1 year olds, but I was relieved when it was re-buttoned. I wonder if anyone ever told her that it was over 10 minutes. 

what house?

I'm sure everyone is bored with the house posts... but my head just can't wrap around other subjects these days.  If all goes according to plan, THIS will be mine in two weeks. 

The flooring is in, tomorrow will be cabinetry, and then the bathroom tiles. 

And hopefully when it's all done, I'll be hosting friends even more!

laminate and carpet and tiles... OH MY!

Yes folks, I finally committed to a (town)home. After much deliberation I went with a new home which means I get to decide on carpet, flooring and bathroom tiles. Although it's extremely exciting, it's also exceptionally stressful. For those that know me, I am indecisive by nature. So imagine the joy it is for those around me as I try to debate on what I should do. All that echos in my mind is "What if you screw up and the place looks awful?" This is a house, not just an outfit I wear for a day. If it doesn't come together, it's not a cheap fix. I'm relying heavily on some friends to use their expertise and steer me in the right direction. I will post pictures when there are some... until then, my mind is pretty focused on all of this. But by the end of March, I hope to have my wits about me AND my new home. So be patient and stay tuned. 

I'm all (mostly) grown up!!

la la love

I'll tell you what love is... my friends. Oh boy did I feel the love this Valentine weekend. 

Friday night I had dinner made for me, Saturday night the same. And it wasn't anything out of the box. It was homemade goodness. Both nights the movie rental was out of their pocket. Movie and dinner. Boyfriend? Pish. 

My friends listen to me rehash the same concern (ahem-home ownership) over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. And they still love and listen to me anyway. 

Maybe I'm not married, but I'm sure not navigating this world alone. 

kids kids kids

Remember when you couldn't wait to be an adult? You were convinced that life would finally get good when you could make ALL your own decisions. Working with teens I am frequently reminded of the naive fantasies of being a grown up. Oh, to be a kid again. I can't quite convince them to enjoy being young but I wish I could. 

When I was about 7 there was this crazy snowstorm that hit in May. All the schools were closed and people were stuck in their driveways. I was devastated when my mother told me that I could not walk to school and would have to stay home. (Lest you worry about me being a keener,* come junior high my parents had to bribe me to go to school. I was the queen of excuses as to why I sick this time. Once when my mom was on to me, I drank a concoction of pickle juice and raw eggs to try and make me throw up. Sadly it didn't work and tasted awful). What I wouldn't give for a snow day now!

If I had my very own snow day I think I'd sleep in, curl up in my bed and read all day. 

Other ideas or snow day dreams are welcome!  

*Keener is an underused word in the US of A, so to those readers here you go 

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

There was a long period in my life when I hated the winter. I couldn't wait for Spring to arrive... until I rediscovered my love for skiing. 

One of my earliest ski memories is plowing in to a hay bail at Canada Olympic Park when it was known as Paskapoo (such a cooler name). I'm still unclear as to why they had them but leave it to me to run in to one. All I know is that I was more intent on waving at my mom at the bottom of the hill than I was on looking ahead. Gratefully this crash didn't finish off my ski affair. 

The next fond memory I have is skiing in Windermere with Mel and family. Well, it's not so much a skiing memory because if I recall correctly, I got irritated on the hill. But I do remember singing and dancing in our bedroom to Milli Vanilli. Imagine my shock and dismay when I later learned they were merely scam artists and not just bad musicians.  Blame that on the rain! And how can I forget the time my mom let me play hooky from school so Keltie and I could ski Sunshine on a Friday. She even fed us homemade scones that day. My parents were and are cool. Again, I don't remember much about the skiing but I do remember losing track of my speed as we sung along to the Cranberries in my dad's truck. (Hey, it was a V-8... I didn't know what to do with so much power!!).  Apparently I have a theme of singing and not so much skiing. 

Probably one of my last ski memories until three years ago, was going up a tow rope with my dad on the now defunct Fortress mountain. Somehow we crossed our tips and I graciously broke my father's fall. We weren't thinking quite straight after we untangled ourselves from skis, poles and each other, so when we got upright we decided we'd hike the rest of the way up. Trudging through deep powder in ski boots was one our collectively stupidest ideas in our child-parent relationship. Skiing back down would have added 5 minutes to our total time. Fifteen minutes later we got to the top, huffing and puffing and sweating. Maybe that was the second to last nail in my dad's skiing coffin. Not too long after he took a nasty spill and sat in the lodge the rest of the day. Months later he discovered that he had actually dislocated his shoulder from the fall. Tough man, still is. 

In my 20's I started to try my hand at snowboarding but never went enough to get good (along with my intense fear of getting hurt... and that's why you start at 5). After one particularly bad spill I realized I could ski, not board. And that's when I rediscovered my true love for the sport. I have never looked back.

On Saturday I felt happier than I have in quite some time. I have been determined to conquer moguls and last week I got one step closer. Maybe this year will be the year. Whether I improve or not isn't really the point. I just love hearing my skis carve in to the powder. I enjoy the thrill of attempting a jump, even if I only catch 2 inches of air. Being with good friends and laughing till my stomach hurts is a pretty good bonus too. 

But mostly I love breathing in the fresh mountain air, feeling the sun beat down on me, taking in the beauty of Creation. Yes, life is good.

what's worse?

Yesterday I saw two different trucks with two different phrases pasted across their back window. I couldn't decide which I thought was dumber so I'm taking a poll.

1. Give War a Chance

or

2. Silly boys, trucks are for girls.

Polls are now open, voters may only vote once.

one step closer

I've been consumed by houses. It's most of what I think about and so blogging has not featured prominently in my brain. As for a quick update, I will likely know by Friday if my offer is accepted. There are two other offers on the table. If I don't win, I'm leaning toward another place. Yup, little Aisy is becoming a grown up. The other good news is that I'm starting to sleep again. I'm hoping that's a good sign. 

And to clarify my last post, I meant that buying a house was more expensive than a wedding NOT marriage. I'm hoping to milk as much money as I can from my future husband... ha ha. JUST KIDDING.

parallels

House hunting is a lot like dating. It takes awhile to fall in love with one, then you worry if you're making the right choice, never fully comprehending the risk you are taking until you commit. You might even find the PERFECT match but then you get rejected... or you find out it isn't so perfect after all so you walk away.

But then you analyze it over and over and over again in your head. You weigh out all the pros and cons, you try to justify why it might work. Your friends are expressing their concerns, not sure if it/he is the right one for you. You listen, but secretly you don't want to give up the dream. You want to believe it's the right thing.

You lie awake at night thinking about it, stressing about it, wanting it to be the perfect match. But it's never perfect, only "pretty darn close."

The only difference I've seen through this whole process is that a house is going to cost a helluva lot more than getting married. And while it can't break up with me, it could lose a lot of equity. Ah relationships.

best moment of the day

The most amusing thing happened to me today and I was at a loss for words. Yes, me! SILENCED.

As a good tenant/manager, I braved the snowy roads after work to deposit the rent cheques for my landlord. I quickly scrawled out my cheque in the car, headed in to the bank and handed the bank teller the deposits. She laughed out loud and said to me "Some people should take handwriting lessons." I looked at the three cheques in her hands, noticing how neat my roommates were and then it dawned on me that she was talking about mine. She then said "I mean, do these even look like fours to you?"  I looked at her, looked at the cheque and looked back at her. I said nothing. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. I didn't laugh and act like it wasn't mine. I didn't say "Well, I wrote it so yes, I think they look like fours." I didn't even defend myself and say "I wrote it in the car, in a rush." 

My silence was not enough to clue her in to her social faux pas, but I wasn't sure that shaming her in to it was the best option either. I was just plain flabbergasted.

Echoing in my brain was my mother's famous quote "Well your scrapbook would look nicer if you worked on your penmanship." (Only a true Brit can say that. I think it must be required to have neat, legible handwriting over there because even my boy cousins write like girls). Damn you elementary school teachers for not forcing me to be neat and tidy with my printing.  And damn me for being so taken aback that I missed a perfect opportunity to humiliate her back.