Mel and Jude Report

Goderich After the Tornado

2011-08-29T12:59:00.003-04:00

I headed back home this past weekend. It was an emotional visit. The town was hit really hard by the tornado and seeing it in person is much different than the pictures I've been mesmerized by all week. I spent a lot of time on the east side of town, not realizing how bad that side had been hit. What got me the most was the houses with spray-painted messages. The families were leaving their mark on their condemned houses. I can't imagine what those people are going through. Our family was so lucky to have been spared any destruction. The town is rebuilding and I have full belief that my aunts and uncles are getting the job done! Goderich might not look the same, but it will still be home.

My cousin has posted some photos of what she saw this past weekend. I didn't take any pictures of where I was in town.

http://mandainto.blogspot.com/2011/08/goderich-one-week-later.html

Tall Baby

2011-08-09T13:46:00.001-04:00

Who knows, maybe my baby will be tall :) Mom and Dad are probably quite distant in terms of geography.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/want-tall-kid-try-long-distance-relationship-224006293.html

A Year Old

2011-08-09T13:44:00.003-04:00

How did this happen? Where did the time go? My baby is a year old! We had a fantastic party with friends and family and on his actual birthday we were able to celebrate with my mom group and a number of other friends (Christi's pool was prevalent in a number of these celebrations). The little man had a fabulous time, but last night he was not a happy camper. I think he sensed that today was going to be different - the dreaded return to work! I needed some sleep and he was having none of that.

I'm hoping he does well at daycare today as this morning was not looking good.

Almost 10 Months!

2011-05-30T21:50:00.003-04:00

I can't believe I haven't posted in two months, time is just flying by. Jude is trying to walk! He needs my help and so we spend most of the day walking around the condo together. He loves chasing the cats. They are not sure what to make of this new development.

He's becoming a little comedian. He thinks he's so funny (well, I think he is too). He is such a happy little guy and I love him to pieces.

I've been able to get back to hot yoga in the last couple of weeks and it has been so great. My friend Kevin watches Jude while my friend Karen and I go and sweat it out. I'd forgotten how much I love it - well, I still can't stand downward dog.

(No photo because it's taking way too long to upload.)

Almost 8 Months!

2011-03-30T10:12:00.003-04:00

How did this happen? How is it that my baby will be 8 months old in a couple weeks? Time is flying by. I am quite happy to be getting out for walks again. A couple of moms I met at the local library program are getting together for walks in our area. Jude loves being outside! He's growing every day and I love watching him learn. He could be crawling any day. Right now he keeps going backwards and looks at me like 'why am I not going where I want'. He loves jumping in his jolly jumper. He has soo much energy.

He's a fantastic eater (way better than mom). He's picking up his Cheerios and getting them into his mouth (he does get annoyed when they get stuck to his hands and he can't eat them). He's loving almost everything he's tried (avocado and mango still aren't favs).

He already has 8 teeth and is biting me quite often (they are sharp!). Still trying to figure out how to get him to stop the biting. I just feel so bad for him that every time he starts to get over the last tooth another one seems to be coming in.

(Jude is sporting his green for St. Paddy's Day in the above pic)

Oscars

2011-02-27T20:45:00.002-05:00

Well, I'm attempting to stay up to watch Oscar. I had hoped to go to my friend SJ's for her (sort of) annual Oscar party, but the baby doesn't do well being away from home after 5pm. I definitely didn't want to be driving after midnight with the screaming baby.

I couldn't even find enough time to make some Oscar picks for the pool.

I know I should be trying to sleep while Jude sleeps, but I do love the Oscars. I liked the opening, mostly because Michael J. Fox was in it (oh how I loved Back to the Future).

I think Reese Witherspoon is best dressed tonight: I love the hair!

This year I only saw two of the Oscar movies: The Social Network and Toy Story 3. So, it's pretty hard to make any predictions. I really want to see Black Swan, mostly because I love Swan Lake and since I love Colin Firth I really want to see The King's Speech. Hopefully one day soon I have time to focus on movies again (but probably not).

Reflecting

2010-12-31T13:21:00.002-05:00

As the year comes to a close I must reflect on the best year of my life. This is the year that brought me my beautiful son, Jude. I can't even express how much my life has changed in so many outstanding ways.

The year included a trip out west to the Vancouver Olympics. It was so great to have two weeks with my brother's family - so great that I was late to a number of events because I didn't want to leave the house and hanging out with my crazy niece.

I learned (once again) how great my friends are. They have been so amazing this year! Whenever I have needed someone they have been there for me. Christi was there for every step of my pregnancy AND every step of the labour! Jude and I will always be eternally grateful for everything she has done for us. I can't wait to meet the newest addition to her family (and I hope that Jude and the newest one will be the best of friends). I don't want to leave anyone out, but I feel that I wouldn't have gotten through that first week without Cara and Sharon who drove many hours to stay with me and keep me sane.

Last but not least, my father has been amazing through this whole year! It's been really tough without my mom, I so wish she could be here to see how amazing Jude is, but Dad has made sure that he's been there for me. Not only was he there for the whole 29 hours of labour, he was with me for most of the two weeks or so leading up to labour (there was much waiting and walking around). I'm so happy that Jude is named after him.

I can't describe how much better my life is now that Jude is here. I am so happy (tired, but extremely happy). He amazes me every day and my heart fills with joy every time he looks at me.

We were chosen to be on the show 'til debt do us part. They were looking for single moms and I applied. I learned so much from doing the show, it was embarrassing but I think well worth it. I don't know when it will air, yet.

Christmas was the best I've celebrated in years! I was lucky enough to celebrate with most of my family (including my brother's family from BC). We traveled around (as we used to as kids) and it was great.

Tonight marks the end of this amazing year and I am sad to see it end, but excited for all of the new adventures that await Jude and I.

Have a very Happy New Year everyone!

Happy Holidays

2010-12-23T17:36:00.001-05:00

Jude and I would like to wish everyone a very happy holiday season! We are very happy to be celebrating with our family - including my brother's family from BC! Lots of snow and lots of family.

Plantable bags

2010-12-17T07:09:00.001-05:00

How awesome do these sound?

http://www.greenplanetparties.com/item_309/Plantable-Holiday-Gift-Bags.htm

After you have reused these gift bags a few times they can be planted!

Three months

2010-11-08T21:27:00.000-05:00

My baby is three months old today! It's going by so fast; too fast. He's more amazing than I ever dreamed possible.

Happy birthday my beautiful boy!

(the picture is from last week, his hair totally wants to be in a Mohawk - it's too late at night to take a pic of him with my phone)

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Insomnia

2010-11-07T03:52:00.001-05:00

It's 3:30 am and I'm up for another feeding with Jude but I've actually been awake since his last feeding. I often suffer from insomnia but it is really hard these days because it is hard enough to get enough sleep with a new baby.

I'm stressed about my c section incision which still hasn't healed. It's been over 2 months since they reopened the incision and I still have one opening that won't heal. I go every other day to have it packed by a nurse. It gets Jude and I out (we normally walk there) but I really want to be healed up - I want the option to have a bath, go on a hot tub, go to yoga.

Then there is the stress of the tv show I'm going to be on. My dad and one of my friends agreed to be on with me but it is really stressful trying to coordinate filming dates with them and figuring out child care when Jude eats constantly and is very reluctant to go to anyone but me.

Then there is the stress of money. I've been asked to cover an expense for my family right now, which I'm totally willing to do, but I don't think everyone understands what a big deal this is since I'm on mat leave. My income is down to a quarter of what it was before the baby and that doesn't cover my fixed expenses. I knew that going into the pregnancy but it would be nice if people realized that this is really hard for me. I know how much the person directly involved appreciates this, it just seems that no one else does.

Well now I'm sure I won't get back to sleep as I'm all worked up. Maybe Jude will surprise me and go down for a real nap tomorrow.

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First laugh and Halloween

2010-10-28T12:13:00.000-04:00

Jude has been giggling for weeks but on Sunday he gave his first real laugh! It was one of the best sounds I've ever heard.

I had leaned him down, almost upside down and pulled him back up over and over. He loved it!

During his tummy time yesterday he didn't set his head down at all! He was able to hold up his head and look around.

On Halloween we went over to my sister's to see their house of horrors (I'm kind of glad I wasn't there at night). We went trick or treating with christi's boys but Jude was having nothing to do with his costume by then.

Thanksgiving part 2

2010-10-27T05:12:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, Jude and I headed up to my dad's place in Huntsville. My dad and stepmom were away for thanksgiving so this was our celebration. My sister was there as well. Our drive up went quite smoothly - only one feeding stop. It was a beautiful weekend. Dad and I took Jude for a really long walk. We saw the new arena and university housing. Dad pushed Jude up this pretty steep hill - the view of Huntsville below us was worth it (I think we'll drive up next time).

Jude is all about mommy these days. He cries if anyone else picks him up after 4pm. In the mornings he is more willing to be away from me. As much as this makes it difficult to get anything done, I love every second of the cuddling. I'm already looking back and can't believe how much he's changed in such a short time.

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Mirror

2010-10-22T06:09:00.001-04:00

Today, when Jude's Auntie Lindsay visited, she discovered that he loves to look in the mirror. It's so great to have others around to ensure Jude and I don't get stuck in a rut.

Jude is normally pretty fussy at the time when Linds visits, but he's definitely becoming less fussy the more he sees her. (the only nights I get anything done around the house are the nights she visits.)

Jude is growing and learning more every day. He is holding his head up more and more and turning it from side to side. He's also rolling himself onto his stomach when he sleeps. It's so cute - he grunts alot while he gets the momentum going.

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Family Visit

2010-10-21T02:23:00.000-04:00

Today Jude and I visited some second / third cousins. I don't see them very often and I really should make the effort to visit more often.

They live next to a river (the river runs through the back yard) and I always forget how beautiful it is. They have a 9 month old baby boy (along with three girls) and I am hoping that he and Jude will spend time together as they grow up.

Whenever I visit I learn another piece of family history. This time I learned that we are somehow related to the original owner of the company that helped build the titanic.

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Pockets?

2010-10-13T02:26:00.001-04:00

Can someone explain to me why a baby would need pockets? Seems like a big waste of fabric and energy.

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First movie

2010-10-07T11:13:00.000-04:00

Jude went to his first movie yesterday. The gta has a number of movies for mommies. There turn the sound down and have stroller parking (which looked so cute with all the strollers lined up). We met my friend Tara and her daughter Marley. We went to see 'the social network'. Unfortunately Tara didnt get to see the whole movie as Marley was pretty fussy by the end. Jude hardly moved throughout and only cried for a few seconds when he was hungry.

The movie was really good. I do wonder how much was true. Really interesting and I definitely recommend it. The three main actors were excellent.

Library time

2010-09-29T10:37:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was jude's first day of his library storytime program. I'm really glad we went but Jude slept through the whole thing. I think it will be really good for me (meeting other moms in the area and learning games to play with Jude).

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Hospital Stay

2010-09-24T10:16:00.004-04:00

After Jude was born we were in the hospital for a few days. I wasn't expecting (or prepared for) a c-section. Finding out that I wasn't going to be able to carry anything for about four weeks was a shock. It was so difficult to get in and out of bed. Being told that you shouldn't use your ab muscles is alot easier said than done. Jude ended up jaundiced and throwing up his food so the nurses sent him down to the ICU nursery. That was pretty upsetting. My poor little baby was there for about 36 hours. I tried to get down there for every feeding, but sleep did take precedence once in awhile. I ended up having an iron deficiency and had some issues walking down to the nursery.
He seemed to be perfectly content having his first sunbathe!

He had lots of visitors in the hospital: Rach (who I called when I woke up on that first morning and couldn't get a hold of my dad - she stayed with me all day), Christi, Dad, Lindsay (who also stayed one day with me and kept me entertained while Jude was in ICU), Jaime, Mike and Sami, Cara (who drove all the way from Clinton to come and see us), Lisa, Sharon (who stayed with us after we left the hospital) and Grandma Sue.

On the Wednesday I was finally getting released it took us forever to get out of there. Dad, Sharon and I played some cards while waiting for the okay.

The plan was for my dad to bring me a bottle of Harp beer while I was in the hospital. I hadn't had beer for over ten months and really wanted one, but after the very long labour and delivery I just didn't feel like it. But, then my Aunt Lynda suggested my milk would come in if I had a Guinness and that was a great idea. It tasted great and the next day my milk came in.
I had knit a hat, sweater and booties for Jude's going home. Unfortunately, the sizes didn't quite work out. It was like Goldie Locks: the sweater was too big, the hat was too small and the booties were just right.

Labour

2010-09-24T08:28:00.006-04:00

I finally have some time to update my blog! Who knows how much time I have as my little munchkin could wake up at anytime.

After the two rounds of induction my labour finally started while I was having dinner at my sister's place with my dad. Christi (my coach and amazing friend) came over to my place around 11pm. We headed over to the hospital around 1am as Christi was worried that I was progressing. Unfortunately, that was not the case. They sent me back home. I did watch a bit of Buffy and slept for 2 min increments and had at least 4 showers (they felt so great). At 8 am we headed back to the hospital and they were able to admit me!

This meant I wouldn't have to move around anymore and could get some drugs. Before I went into labour I was not keen on an epidural. I did not want someone sticking a needle into my spine. But, I did want the morphine. Once I had the morphine I was able to sleep for a bit and that was great.

My Dad and Christi were with me at the hospital, which was great. It turned out to be a very long day and it was great to have them both there.

During my labour a number of things 'went wrong' or at least they did not go as hoped or expected. They brought in an intern to break my water (I didn't have an issue with it being an intern). She attempted it four times and Christi finally told her to stop and get the doctor. The doctor only had to do it once. Unfortunately, there was meconium which meant the baby could be in distress so the baby and I both had to be monitored. This meant no walking, no showers and no jacuzzi. I was bed ridden for the rest of my labour. They also determined that I was dehydrated (which seems so crazy considering how much water I drink) so I needed an IV. I hate IV's and giving blood (for as long as I can remember it has been difficult to find a vein and then there was that time that they nicked a nerve and my arm was messed up for a week). Well, this was just as bad. They tried a couple of times in one hand and it hurt so bad that I was crying and had to get them to take it out (my hand was bruised for a couple of days), then they tried the other hand and it hurt like hell as well. So, they had to call in an IV specialist - that finally worked.

I was hooked up to so many things on different sides of my body that I kept getting tangled whenever I moved!

I asked for more morphine but they said I couldn't have it because the baby could come within 5 hours (my baby didn't show up for another 13 hours). So, I broke down and decided to go for the epidural. Of course, I did jump during the epidural and thought I had paralyzed myself. I then went into shock or something similar and was shaking uncontrollably for about 20 mins. Five blankets later and I was asleep. Before the epidural I did try to eat some lunch, which I then proceeded to throw up. I then found out I couldn't eat with the epidural!

The rest of the day was kind of a blur, nothing much happening. I started to disbelieve anyone who gave me a timeline. We kept thinking the baby was only a few hours from being born, but no. My baby seemed to be very happy where it was.

I know there was talk of the baby being born at 7, then at 9, then at 11 and then we realized he would probably be a Sunday baby.

Around 11 or so it was finally time to push. Christi tells me I was pushing for about 3 hours, it's all a blur to me. I know I asked for a different playlist (more AC/DC less Alison Crowe). Around 1am the doctor was free again and came to check on me. They decided he was descended enough to try and pull him out. I don't know how many times she tried but my baby just wouldn't come out. So, I was quickly unhooked and wheeled into an operating room for a C-section. I'd been crying for about three hours and was just really emotional about this being my first surgery.

I had to have a top up of the epidural (the second top up) and like the times before I started shaking uncontrollably. They strapped my arms down but I broke through on one side. It was so uncomfortable. I was able to feel them move stuff around, but it didn't hurt. Finally the doctor announced that it was a boy! Unfortunately, I didn't feel like celebrating. It actually took me a few hours to be really excited about the birth of my beautiful boy, Jude.

There was some concern when they were checking Jude over, they wouldn't let Christi take pictures. We heard a cry and then nothing, Christi kept me distracted but we were both worried that something was wrong. But, then everything turned out okay.

I was still shaking uncontrollably so I couldn't hold Jude when we left the OR. The nurse carried him down to my room, Christi did get to hold him and then handed him off to my dad. Unfortunately, there are no pics of Christi holding Jude in the hospital (after all her help there really should be one). Dad and Christi stuck around for awhile while I slept. They headed home around 3am. When I woke up I was finally excited to see my new baby. They moved me into my recovery room and Jude and I went to sleep. He's so beautiful and so amazing!

My life has changed for forever.

Induction round 2

2010-08-06T17:01:00.001-04:00

Back at the hospital for a second round of induction meds. Spent 3.5 hrs here yesterday afternoon and then another 1.5 at midnight last night. Dad and I have been here since 2:30 today and I'm not sure if I hope I'm heading home in 1.5 hrs or staying for the long haul.

When I got home at 1 am last night I was greeted by freaked out cats. There was a bat hanging from the ceiling! Dad was able to get it out this afternoon without killing it.

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Induction

2010-08-05T16:00:00.000-04:00

I'm finally in a bed for my induction and I'm really annoyed so far. Was scheduled for 2:30 and didn't get in a room until around 3:30. I was ready to go back home and let nature take its course. Christi rushed over to make sure I stayed.

Still waiting

2010-07-28T21:12:00.000-04:00

Today was my 'due date', but no sign of baby. My dad had been here since the beginning of the week, but headed home for the night since nothing was happening. So, we are hoping the baby waits until he gets back to Mississauga.

Had quite a busy few days as my dad and I did lots of running around and work around the house. We had a quick visit with his godfather yesterday. That was pretty cool as he is around 90 and was at his work and then showed us his sailboat. He's sailed around the world multiple times.

Hopefully the next update will be news of the baby.

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Google Chuck Norris

2010-07-16T14:35:00.002-04:00

OMG but this just made me laugh out loud (and due the pregnancy I almost peed my pants).

The list universe today (and it has been great this week) had stupid criminals (including a Darwin award winner). The number one on the list is great! (http://listverse.com/2010/07/16/10-truly-ridiculous-criminal-acts/)

But, the best part was reading the comments and one of the commentators suggested going to google and searching on 'google Chuck Norris' and selecting 'I feel lucky'.

Last Day of Work

2010-07-16T12:10:00.003-04:00

Today is my last day in the office before I go on maternity leave (I have three days of vacation before my official last day of work). And what happens? I find a problem with a spreadsheet I had designed, so I had a bit of a stressful morning while I fought with Microsoft Excel to figure out how to fix my issue (damn sorting screwed up my formulas). But, I figured it out. Of course, I did :) It's pretty rare that I don't figure out a solution (now I have just jinxed myself).

We have a corporate meeting in about 15mins and then I'm done... for a year! I can't wrap my head around that. I really can't.

I'm hoping the baby doesn't make an appearance at least until next Friday. It would be really nice to have a week off to myself to get some things done around the house and to relax. Plus, my coach is off to a cottage for a week and I rather not go into labour during her vacation.

Customer Support Post

2010-07-15T12:46:00.004-04:00

The List Universe had an excellent post this week and their #2 is very much my #1 (and I actually posted about it earlier this week). The list was about time-wasters and their comments on 'customer support' were so bang on!

With that being said, I actually had a half-decent support call with Petro-Canada yesterday. Granted, they haven't followed up like they said they would and I don't know if the issue has been corrected, but I didn't want to throw my phone across the room when I spoke with them so that's already 100 times better than my normal customer support contacts with other companies (this week: Dell and Creative Memories top my list of crap support).

http://listverse.com/2010/07/10/10-most-annoying-time-wasters

Crap support

2010-07-12T11:57:00.001-04:00

I really don't understand how companies can have such horrible customer service. Today: creative memories. I really don't understand why I continue to use their products considering how frustrating and non-existent their customer service is!

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Bootie

2010-07-11T08:44:00.001-04:00

The first bootie!

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Hat for baby

2010-07-08T22:28:00.000-04:00

Just finished knitting the hat that goes with the sweater for the baby. Next up... Booties

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8 Days and Counting

2010-07-06T10:24:00.004-04:00

There are only 8 more working days for me. Of course, I'm a little worried that this baby will then be late (and even bigger), but I'm definitely feeling the need to rest. It feels like I've been go, go, go for last couple of months. This coming weekend is somewhat quieter than the past 6. I have my baby shower and a poker night, but that's it. I've taken Friday off from work and looking forward to a relaxing day.

I woke up this morning and was thinking that it didn't really seem that cool in my condo (considering how much lower my AC is set than years past). Hmmm, that doesn't appear correct. The temp is 10 degrees warmer than what the AC is set to. I am definitely feeling the heat more this summer than I have in the past, but I am really glad that I'm normally so cold or else I'd probably be dying with no-AC. I think my cats are not at all happy.

My dad is coming down to help me with a couple of things around the house this week so I suspect all of those other things will be put on hold so that he can check out the AC. Fingers crossed. I will probably want it working for after the baby is born.

This past weekend I headed up to Goderich do some 'camping' with friends. I say 'camping' because I actually slept at my Grandmother's each night. Everyone else was actually camping. It was really great to get back to a campsite. I have missed it. This was the first time we camped at Point Farms and I think we are planning to do it again next year because it was a fabulous site. The beach was excellent as well. We had 3 sites and there were about 17 of us (plus 3 dogs). The kids had a great time. The only issue: we didn't get our picture! Heidi, Cara, Teresa and I almost always try to get a picture of the four of us (and often times including others) when we get together. Of course, I didn't think of this until the next day and it was too late.

Ultrasound

2010-07-01T21:30:00.001-04:00

I had an ultrasound yesterday and I seem to be having a big baby! The tech asked if the father was tall. Why? Because she measured the baby appears to be at 37.5 weeks instead of 36! She thinks the baby is already 6 lbs 12 oz. Normally at this stage the baby would gain a pound a week. That could mean a 10 lb (plus) baby!

Besides that the baby had a perfect ultrasound (I always did like tests - so maybe my genes are in there). Lots of movement, as always, and it was difficult to get all the pics.

Now I'm kind of hoping for an early labour.

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Difficult Reads

2010-06-15T12:59:00.003-04:00

One of the blogs that I consistently read every day is 'The List Universe'. Today I read their list of the most difficult reads and was intrigued to find out who has read any of these.

http://listverse.com/2010/06/07/top-10-difficult-literary-works

I have read only one of these: 'The Sound and The Fury'. I believe I read this in university after Lisa had read / recommended it. I don't remember hating it and actually believe I liked it (but I really can't remember the story).

I know my Dad has finished War and Peace and I'm sure my friend Lisa has read a number of these (and would probably like to add Hearts of Darkness to the list - or maybe just add that to a books I hate list).

After reading the list, I have absolutely no desire to pick up any of the other books on this list. I used to think I would try 'Atlas Shrugged', but I think I'm past that and have way too many other books on my shelves to put myself through that kind of misery (at least it sounds like misery).

Make The Itching Stop

2010-06-10T16:12:00.003-04:00

Two weeks ago I developed a rash on my stomach, arms and hands. It then spread to my feet. It was really itchy and I decided to have an oatmeal bath - big mistake! That caused the rash to explode on my legs and back. My OB said it was hard to diagnose rashes (but it was definitely not this one specific pregnancy rash) and she thought it was a heat rash (as it did start when we had our heat wave in TO), she gave me a script for some cortisone cream and told me to take some benadryl. Unfortunately, those didn't work (well, they gave me some relief). This past Monday I made it in to see a dermatologist. She thinks it is one of the other pregnancy rashes (I don't know the names of them). She did a biopsy on my leg, but it takes two weeks for the results. Not only do I have an insanely itchy rash, I also have itchy stitches.

Regardless of what it is, the consensus seems to be that it will stay until the baby is born. That's about 7 weeks from now. I'm not sure I can handle it. I look diseased, which is really great since I go for maternity photos on Saturday (I really hope they are good at the air-brushing).

On a donor related note: I found out today that my donor is all sold out. I know there has been at least one other pregnancy reported for my donor so my baby will have at least one half-sibling out there. I definitely plan to pay to keep my other sample in storage (just in case).

Task

2010-05-11T09:36:00.002-04:00

Picked this up from Sharon's blog:

Rules:
* Grab the book closest to you.
* Go to page 56.
* Find the 5th sentence.
* Don't go looking for your favourite book, or the coolest one you have - just grab the closest one.

'She never wed.'

At this point in my life that sentence seems very apropos.

Too Busy

2010-05-03T09:05:00.004-04:00

I've been so busy with baby stuff I have been remiss in keeping my blog up to date! Quick rundown:

Work is insane! Been working alot of weekends and travelling to a client site in Kitchener (good news - I get $100 in expense money for each day I do that trek - I've ordered a new laptop with the money from April trips).

I started my third trimester last week! The baby is moving around a lot and kicking up a storm. There have only been two times when I could feel / see the baby move on the outside. This week I go for my gestational diabetes test (hopefully everything goes well).

The baby room was painted this weekend and it looks amazing. I huge THANKS to Teresa, Heidi, Karen, Kevin, Mike, Dorie and Lisa for all their help over the past couple of weekends. I hated not being able to help with the painting and everyone was awesome in giving up their weekends to help me out. The room is yellow and burgundy and I can't wait to finish decorating.

Mike and Kevin carried the new dresser up the three flights of stairs (yes, the stairs are horrible). I can now start moving clothes from the closet into the dresser and start setting up the room. I still need to get new window treatments, though. The blinds have been there since before I moved in and they are pretty disgusting.

I'm about to start on the next baby knitting project: a lace type covering for the bassinet. When I was born my mom's friend gave her a wicker bassinet (so it's over 37 years old). Unfortunately, she was killed in a plane crash shortly after that. My dad is building a rocker and a new custom mattress has been purchased. Now, I just need to figure out how to knit the 'shawl'. I really hope it works out.

That's about all I have time for today!

Baby sweater

2010-05-02T23:28:00.001-04:00

Just finished the baby sweater! It looks better than I hoped.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Fug Girls and the Next Harrison

2010-04-13T13:03:00.003-04:00

I couldn't resist reposting this! As many of you know I LOVE Harrison Ford. Han and Indy? Hello? The fug girls have a slideshow up about who Hollywood thinks will be the new 'it' guys. I loved this post about Chris Pine being the new Harrison (the comment on the whip did it for me).

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/04/fug_girls_slideshow.html#photo=3

Mini Strikes Again

2010-03-29T10:51:00.002-04:00

Just when I thought my finances were in order my car has a service need. I knew there would be a service required in July and that it would not be easy on my finances, but I didn't realize that I would also have to replace the brakes right now. I guess it's better that the brakes went before I was on mat leave. Who knows how I would pay for these things when I'm not working. I love my car, but the Mini is so expensive to service.

They weren't sure they would be able to do the brakes today (the red light came on this morning while I was driving to work) but once I played the pregnancy card they said they could do it today. The last time I had a red warning light my transmission had gone on my first mini and I had to buy a new car. So, the red light freaked me out.

I've also been having problems with the drivers side window. It takes 5 or 6 attempts to get the window to stay closed. Apparently, this is a known issue with the minis (as the service guy knew exactly what I was talking about). They can't fix that today (well, they could but I don't have time to wait around for that). I really hope that one is under warranty. My car is not even two years old so I'll be really annoyed if I have to pay for that one.

Ah the joys of owning a BMW / Mini. I love my car, but I do not love how much it costs.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T12:25:00.002-04:00

This year is a little different for me on the St. Paddy's Day front. Normally, I take the day off work, get a group of friends together to hit Failte (Irish pub in Mississauga) for an entire day of drinking green beer. This year there will be no beer for me. I'm half way through my pregnancy and alcohol is frowned upon. But, I must say I am tempted to have some Guinness today (but won't).

So, for all my friends who are partaking this year - please have a green beer (if possible from the Guinness family) for me!

Lost Boy

2010-03-10T21:47:00.001-05:00

Very sad news today about Corey Haim. I definitely had a multitude of Corey posters on my wall in high school. Silver Bullet was one of my favourite movies (plus it was Stephen King) and then the lost boys may have started my love of the vampire genre.

It's sad that all the news is mostly about his drug use. I'll remember him for how much I loved his movies (and how I watched them over and over again).

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Canada Vs. Russia Here I Come

2010-02-24T16:15:00.003-05:00

That's right I'm heading to the Canada / Russia Olympic men's hockey game! J and J and I ended up with a set of quarter final tickets in our olympic package and it turns out to be this game! Now my brother thinks I should sell my ticket and make a ton of money (which I probably could), but I didn't come out here to sell all my tickets.

I ended up not going to the victory ceremony last night (even though I had a ticket). The first one I went to was fine and I'm glad I went, but I didn't feel the need to go again. Megan's friend was in town for the olympics and didn't have tickets to anything so I gave her my ticket so that should could experience some of the olympic fever first hand. Now, I did not realize at the time that Canada would win gold yesterday in Ski Cross and that I would miss the raising of the Canadian flag and a stadium singing our anthem. Instead I was with my brother's family and was giving my niece a bath. I guess I really am pregnant because I'm not all that upset about missing the victory ceremony.

Tomorrow is the gold medal women's game: US vs. Canada and that's what I'm really looking forward to.

Vancouver has been alot of fun, but I am looking forward to getting home and seeing my babies (apparently I did not leave them enough food - thanks Christi you are the best!!!). Of course, I'm not looking forward to going back to work. It's been really nice to have this time off and just relax.

Men's aerials was definitely a highlight this week. Excellent commentary throughout the event. The best of all the events, I'd say. It was really cold, though. After over a week of beautiful weather out here in Vancouver the temp started to drop. We were sitting on metal benches and they were chilly! We were supposed to be going to women's aerials tonight, but we'll be at the hockey game instead.

We've seen a ton of curling. I believe we've been over there 4 times and still have the bronze medal women's match to attend. My favourite part of the games has been at curling - Norway's Pants! (pics to follow)

Gotta go to the game!

Speed Skating, etc.

2010-02-19T12:21:00.004-05:00

After the Whistler event, we had to rush to get to speed-skating back in Vancouver. The bus driver turned on the air conditioning half way back to the city and it was soooo cold on the bus. A ferry ride and another bus got us to the Pacific Coliseum. I will not say the bus got us close. I'm really surprised by how far away the buses are from the actual doors we can get in to the events. The buses were not stopping at the stop near the entrance to the venue so we had quite a bit of a walk to get to security and then another walk to get to the doors. So far, UBC Thunderbird arena probably has the best seating (ie enough room to not feel squished).

We missed the first event of speed skating, but did get to see 500 m women's short track and Canada won silver. We also saw the men's relay semi-finals and the men's 1000 m heats. Very exciting with lots of crashes, false starts and disqualifications. There was some stupid guy in the stands who kept yelling after the racers went to the start (even with all the notices to be quiet at the start of the race). The entire place starting shhsh'ing him. If you ever get a chance go see some short track speedskating live.

Yesterday I had a day off due to my snowboarding half-pipe tickets being cancelled. Apparently the conditions for standing room were dangerous. So, Jason still had the day off (since he was going to go with me) and we headed to the aquarium. Fiona loves the fish. We saw the sea otter (my fav) and the beluga whale show.

A nice relaxing day and a gorgeous day. We are having beautiful weather here in Vancouver and Megan, Fiona and I are about to head out for a walk while the sun is still out.

Tonight: my first men's hockey game. Norway vs. Germany.

Not green

2010-02-17T12:07:00.001-05:00

I'm up at whistler for cross country and found out that the only way to get water up here is to buy bottled. Green olympics my ass. If you aren't going to give me an environmental option don't make me dump out my water before I come into the venue. Really not all that impressed. Not enjoying this event at all - plus the guy on the jumbotron is a moron.

It is gorgeous up here, though. Actual snow at an Olympic event.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Vancouver update

2010-02-16T21:47:00.000-05:00

Van is awesome! But finding it very difficult to leave the house to get to my Olympic events because my niece is way too cute. I'm already dreading the day I fly home to Toronto.

Womens hockey has been awesome so far. Curling was very exciting this morning. Canada goes to an extra end and makes an awesome shot. Everyone was on their feet! Icing on the cake - Germany beats the US.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

First event

2010-02-15T00:34:00.001-05:00

Tonight was our first olympic event - womens hockey, Russia vs Finland. Very exciting game, lots of checking, lots of crazy shots on net. Most of us were cheering for the underdog Russians. But it was very hard sometimes as they played very poorly. Their goalie was phenomenal, though! The offense hung back at the blue line, no one went to the net.

After the game we went out for some dinner and the restaurant was showing the NBC feed instead of a Canadian feed so we didn't get to see the gold medal mogul run. But we were certainly cheering during the hockey game when we heard the curse was broken.

Now I'm stuck on a bus heading back to my brothers. The US VP (Biden) just drove by and so no one could drive down the street and the bus isn't allowed to make any of it's regular stops for a couple of blocks.

I'm very much looking forward to bed. Tomorrow more hockey - womens: Sweden vs Slovakia.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Vancouver update

2010-02-14T09:03:00.001-05:00

Julia, Jana and I flew into van yesterday to begin our Olympic odyssey. The flight was great. I had 3 seats to my self and was able to take full advantage of westjets live tv. I had tsn and ctv Olympic coverage going on my TVs and was watching luge, ski jumping, hockey and speed skating (and checking out the protest every so often).

My brother met us at the airport which was awesome. The trains packed up pretty good before we got to our stop. Elevators were handy with all our stuff.

Jason and I walked around and got some food and then headed back to his place. Everyone looks good and Fiona is crazy energy girl. She loves to climb so we spent alot of time climbing up and off the bed (well she climbed and I laid on the bed). She's still super cute.

I fell asleep during womens moguls but woke up in time to see Canada win silver. Then off to bed for some much needed sleep. I was up until 4:30 am before my flight getting work done and up at 7am the day of our flight. Hopefully I'm all rested up and can now get into full Olympic mode and keep up with Fiona.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Double entries

2010-02-14T08:50:00.000-05:00

So I don't update for forever and now i'm duplicating entries. Slight technical difficulties with the iPhone.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Baby update

2010-02-14T08:49:00.001-05:00

Well it's not so much an update as it is the first post on the baby. I found out I was pregnant a couple of months ago but haven't posted because i was so crazy tired. The second attempt at donor insemination worked. Which is really lucky as it can take years of trying.

It was interesting and weird to pick out a donor on line. But with much help from family and friends I finally picked one and starting in July we'll see how I did.

Crazy tired and nauseous for the first three months. now I'm tired because work is insane. I definitely have a belly going on and can no longer fit in my old clothes. Thanks to friends I have lots of new clothes to choose from.

The ultrasounds have all gone well and I've heard the heartbeat and seen the babys hands.

Expected due date: I'm going with the last week in July. As every doctor gives a different date.

I'm hoping to be more regular in my update now, but who am I kidding?

Baby update

2010-02-14T08:48:00.001-05:00

Olympic Fever

2010-02-11T23:48:00.002-05:00

Well, it's been awhile but I'm going to try to update the blog throughout the Olympics. We head out in a couple of days and I can't wait to see my brother! I've gone a little crazy on the Olympic gear and can't wait for our first event (Sunday).

WestJet Sucks

2009-12-15T12:56:00.001-05:00

Wow, whatever WestJet is doing is really bad. With the changes they are making they have deleted all old web profiles and yet the new system is really difficult for logging in. there is no way I'm going to remember an 8 digit login. I don't understand why it's not an email address. Weird and not impressive. Then when I tried to leave comments it wouldn't actually let you leave them (either that or I left them a couple of dozen times because I kept clicking on OK and nothing was happening).

Olympic Tickets Arrived

2009-12-15T12:32:00.001-05:00

My Olympic tickets arrived this morning and they look so great. I have my gold medal women's hockey tickets in hand and can't wait. We have some amazing seats. Just waiting for J and J to receive their tickets and then we are really ready to go.

We still need to figure out which events we can actually get to (we have some conflicts) and decide if we can afford to hit up Whistler for at least one night (I hope so).

Plus, I'm so excited about getting to visit my brother and family for two whole weeks! Now, I know I'll be busy during those two weeks, but I'm sure we will find time for games!

Rachel Getting Married

2009-11-13T19:41:00.002-05:00

So, I just finished watching Rachel Getting Married. I remember going to the Toronto Film Festival went this came out and everyone talking about how great Anne Hathaway is in it. And she is really good, but I'm not sure about the movie as a whole. I just found it very odd. I think it was all the musicians everywhere. I don't know why this kept taking me out of the story, but it did. I found it very distracting.

Music Memories

2009-11-04T11:36:00.002-05:00

'I Will Follow Him' just showed up on my ipod. Wow, I'm back to sitting on the dining room floor in Goderich with my mom and dad's record collection. How I loved their record collection - the album covers, the songs, the smell of the records, dancing around the dining room - all of it. I still have them all and every so often I pull them out and I'm right back to my childhood.

Stupid Canadian Government

2009-11-03T18:37:00.002-05:00

So, I needed to send some receipts back to revenue canada. Unfortunately, when I tried to get a copy of my receipts the company never sent them to me. So, that wasted time. Once I had them I mailed them off. Then I received a letter a month later saying I never responded! WTH? Stupid Canada Post screws me again. Then I called and the nice woman there gave me a number and fax to call. Well, the number was busy for over an hour so I gave up. I tried to fax, the fax machine tried for who knows how long and it was busy. So, I figured I mail the receipts again (getting a signature this time), no there is no address ANYWHERE! What does it say on their website? It says use the address label we gave you. I DID on the first one, it didn't get there. So, now I have no way to get my receipts to them and they say I owe money. Stupid fraking crappy Canadian government.

Battle of the Blades live

2009-11-01T11:51:00.002-05:00

Last week I went to a taping of battle of the blades with my cousin Michelle, her husband Andrew and my friend Julia. It was so cool to be back at Maple Leaf Gardens (surprised by how many seats are still there). The show was actually live for the east coast. I think the judges were watching different routines than we were. Domi hardly skated, it was so boring; Lemieux was rarely in time with his partner. But Stephane was awesome and Craig and Jamie are far and away the best couple. We actually stuck around after to get their autographs.

It was such a fun night, except for when I got hit in the face. Yes, I went to a figure skating competition and ended up with a fat lip. Someone was flinging their hands around and smacked me in the face. It took about 4 days for my lip to heal.

Tickets are really cheap and they have a rush line as well. Go if you get the chance. It was so much fun!!

Stupid App

2009-11-01T11:49:00.002-05:00

Once again I'm having problems with my iphone. I have an app that "allows" me to blog from my phone. I think it worked once. I have a couple of blogs but here's the message I get when I try to post "seems your network is not ready for posting". Very annoying.

Battle of the Blades

2009-10-12T20:18:00.001-04:00

I wasn't sure about this show, but I must say I've been pleasantly surprised. It's been great. And tonight watching Kurt Browning perform in hockey skates was phenomenal! I'm really excited that my friends and I have tickets for a show in a couple of weeks. I don't want to see anyone leave!

iPhone Sucks

2009-10-04T13:38:00.002-04:00

I hate my iphone again. All I wanted was a Buffy ringtone. I would have thought that was simple, but no. Apparently not. I've been trying for over an hour. Supposedly I should be able to create my own (I don't understand why I can't just buy one). But, when I attempt all of the iphone 'help' options I can't even create one. It's not option (even though all the help screens say it should be). I'm getting so frustrated. I hate when documentation is incorrect! And I can't email for iphone support. I can supposedly set up a call, but that was taking over 20 minutes to figure out, so I gave up. Customer service my ass!

SYTYCD tour 2009

2009-09-29T19:26:00.001-04:00

I'm hanging out at the ACC for the 2009 tour. I have floor seats, only 10 rows from the stage (the seats you can get when you are by yourself).

Walking into the platinum section I walked past the Canadian top 10. saw Vincent first, then, unfortunately, Emmanuel sandu.

Not as excited as I have been in years past. But looking forward to seeing Ade and Melissa dance Tyce's breast cancer routine. Also interested to see if what's her name is more impressive in person (geez I can't even remember her name she was so blah).

-- Post From My iPhone

Timmy and Beelzebub

2009-09-27T21:18:00.002-04:00

I headed to Goderich this weekend for a day of scrapbooking with my friends Sharon and Shannon. After scrapbooking Sharon, her daughter and myself broke out my Beatles Rockband. I took up the guitar this time since it's the hardest instrument in rockband and boy was i frustrated! I could not figure it out. After awhile we switched it up for a couple of songs, then I went back to the guitar and was so much better. Now, I'm still bad, but I was finally figuring it out.

After Sharon's daughter headed to bed, we switched to regular Rockband. Sharon took over the vocals and I picked up the drumsticks. We had sooooo much fun! We unlocked the rest of the songs that were left in the game to get to the end. Then we saw that we had only finished 50 of 63 songs. This didn't make any sense to us since we hadn't finished all the acts, but these were the 'bonus' songs. Bonus normally implies something good. These were anything but! I say that, but we had so much fun with those songs. Sharon was making up words and making me laugh so hard that I couldn't figure out what I was supposed to be doing on the drums. But, the best was the last song. It was something like Timmy Lord of the Underworld. I thought for sure Sharon was making up the words, but she wasn't. It was the most hilarious thing I'd ever heard. Now, it may have seemed so hilarious because it was 2am!

SYTYCD Canada Season 2 again

2009-09-08T22:49:00.003-04:00

I'm still not enjoying SYTYCD Canada very much. The dancers make quite a few mistakes and the judges still say they are awesome. I don't think there have been any routines yet that are memorable, which is too bad. That's what really makes this show so good - the routines that you can't forget. I'm watching tonight's show and I know there was a routine I liked, but I can't even remember what it was or who danced it. The dancers aren't really all that memorable yet. (And the Hustle was horrible!)

Too Much Planning

2009-09-08T22:41:00.003-04:00

So, I think I planned the baby thing a little too much. Last year I went for all my tests and everything was fine. I then waited to actually start the DI process until I figured out when would be good for me. I was worried about money and making sure the timing worked. Well, I may have waited too long. I went in this week after picking the donor and my blood work came back indicating a problem. I'm hoping it is an anomaly and that next month everything will be fine. The clinic wants me to go back to see my doctor since it's been a year since my last tests. Of course, this meant that I went to worse case scenario. I'm rather worried that this now means I won't be able to have kids. I'm hoping I get much better news later this week.

Now, part of the problem is that the clinic is not very good at providing information (this seems to be the consensus in my support group). But, it is probably mostly because I waited too long. Fingers crossed that everything will be okay.

SYTYCD Canada Season 2 - part 2

2009-08-25T22:20:00.002-04:00

I was so hoping for a good performance from Vincent tonight. But, I did not like his partner. She really didn't do as well as I thought. Once again I'm just not impressed with the Canadian show. I may have to give up on it again this year.

SYTYCD Canada Season 2

2009-08-25T22:07:00.002-04:00

What is with Tre? 'This is the best top 20 we've ever had.' It's only season 2! What a ridiculous comment. I can't believe how much better the American version is.

But, I am watching this season because I love Vincent. He's damn sexy and I can't wait for him to dance.

Another Season Done - SYTYCD

2009-08-09T10:15:00.003-04:00

This week marked the end of another season of So You Think You Can Dance. SYTYCD is one of my favourite shows, but this season left me a little cold. There wasn't a standout for me (until the finale). Normally, I have a favourite by week 1 or 2, and sometimes during the auditions.

I never saw season 1 so I can't comment on anyone from that season (I really wish MuchMusic would replay that season - they over play everything else).

Season 2 was AMAZING! So many dancers to choose from. During the season I (like everyone else) loved Benji, but in the rewatching (I kept all of the seasons since season 1) I found that Travis really was the most amazing dancer that season. Either way, though, it was an amazing season with amazing dancers (with great personality) making it to the finale.

Season 3, not as good as season 2 (IMO) but it did have Neil. I loved Neil and was very happy he made it to the finale. Season 3 was the first time I went to see the tour (I tried for season 2, but it sold out in 15 mins).

Season 4 was all about TWITCH! I was also a big Katee fan. The "Mercy" routine with the door is probably my all time favourite dance from the show (and I was very happy to see them perform it again in season 5). Once again I was able to get tickets to the tour.

Then came SYTYCD Canada. Hmmm. I think it would have been great, if only they didn't have the most annoying host in the history of television. I LOVE dance, and I love dance programs. But, I had to stop watching because she was so horrible (and, please, a glitter microphone?, really?). I did try to watch from the PVR, but I found that even fast-forwarding and seeing her face annoyed me. I did end up watching the finale and wish I could have handled watching the season because there were some great dancers that season (and I loved that a ballerina made it to the final 2).

Now, Season 5. No stand outs at all, as I've said. Not one. Well, there was one. Kayla - in that she annoyed me to no end from day one. My friend I think she must be way better in person because everyone I know did not think she was all that. Yet, the judges went on and on about how awesome she was. Sorry, I just didn't see it. She had no personality on stage. I would not pay money to see her dance (and I quite often pay money to see dancers). I found most of the season that I stopped watching when she was on stage because I was bored. Now, it could be that I'm danced out. Between this and Dancing with the Stars, maybe I've had enough for awhile (which isn't good since season 6 is going to start in a few weeks).

Once again I planned to go to the tour, even though no one stood out. No one wanted to join me this year for that very fact. So, I bought a ticket and I'm glad I did because in the last couple of weeks there have been some amazing routines and some stand-outs. It just took a long time.

Melissa was amazing this season - I really hope they do the Romeo and Juliet routine on the tour. It was phenomenal to see classical ballet on the show (and danced so beautifully). I still think Ade and Janette should have been in the finale instead of Evan and Kayla. I can't believe Janette left the show so early, she was amazing. I really liked Evan, but I don't think he grew as a dancer as much as the others did. Plus, I would have loved to have seen that Nasty Boys routine with Ade and Brandon.

Then there was Jeanine. All of a sudden she became my favourite. I can't remember when it happened (but it was definitely after Janette left). And she just exploded on the stage in the finale! Her solo was so amazing. When my friend, Julia, and I were watching the finale we were screaming we were so excited when she won (but, I think we screamed louder when they announced that Kayla was leaving first). I don't know what it was about Kayla that just rubbed us all the wrong way (I really suspect it was because the judges wouldn't shut up about how great she was and yet we couldn't see it at all - that girl needs to get some personality on stage).

Favourite dances this season: the breast cancer (makes me cry each time I watch it) and addiction routines (Kupono's evil smile sends chills) from the duet's. I really hope they do the asian-inspired group routine, the black, red and white of that was so stunning! I think the group routines were actually better than many of the partner dances this season so I'm really looking forward to those.

Beautitul Post

2009-08-09T10:05:00.005-04:00

I'm, obviously, a child of the 70's, and a very sentimental one at that. This week with the passing of John Hughes I was taken back to my teenage years and all of his wonderful movies. (As my friends from that time can attest I was obsessed with Ferris / Matthew.)

This morning I read a really moving blog post (and an excellent follow-up post). From all the comments the writer has received I know I was not the only one that was moved by what she wrote. For those of you out there that were also fans of his movies, I highly recommend popping over to her site.

Original post: http://wellknowwhenwegetthere.blogspot.com/2009/08/sincerely-john-hughes.html

Follow up post: http://wellknowwhenwegetthere.blogspot.com/2009/08/sincerely-alison-byrne-fields.html

Books and Movies and Stuff

2009-08-02T21:57:00.004-04:00

The current book I'm listening to on CD is once again quite annoying. Holy product placement, Batman! Whenever the author describes anything it is with a brand name. Plus, once again it's a woman who doesn't stand up for herself. I really wish I could pick a book with a strong woman as a central character.

I just finished watching Triviatown. It's a great documentary on the world's largest trivia contest. Now, I probably really liked the movie since I play trivia every week, but I found it really interesting. I would love to go and play in their contest. Unfortunately, based on the questions I heard I would not do well at all! Those are some tough questions.

Last week was our trivia finals (my team just made it in). Three teams make it into the finals every season. We lost but there were some good rounds. The team Clueless did an awesome job this season with the questions.

iPhone issues already

2009-07-29T17:25:00.001-04:00

Well I've only had my phone about a week and already I'm finding flaws. I'm waiting for my computer to install a bunch of updates (taking way tooooo long) so I'm playing with the phone. The gps thinks I'm quite a bit west of where I actually am. I keep trying to get it to reorient but it keeps thinking I'm at shoppers world in Brampton. I'm definitely not there!

-- Post From My iPhone

iPhone blog

2009-07-25T10:35:00.000-04:00

My first post from my iPhone. I totally inderstand how everyone gets addicted to these things. I also understand how people fall into sewers! This could be very dangerous.

-- Post From My iPhone

First Book Club

2009-07-08T22:10:00.002-04:00

I've joined my first book club (thanks Charlotte for inviting me) and last night was my first meeting (I didn't join until after the first meeting). I think there are about ten women in the club and I knew four of them prior to going into the meeting.

The first book (for me) was Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill. It was an excellent book and I would highly recommend reading it. I think we probably gave it an 8 out of 10. A couple of us felt that it lost a bit of momentum (and believability) just over half way through. But, even with that the story is well told and extremely interesting (and was very well researched - that part was very interesting to me).

I had a great time at the meeting. We had some really great discussions (and not just about the book).

Our next book: The Ten Year Nap.

Twilight Fun

2009-06-25T19:43:00.003-04:00

Okay, I keep meaning to blog about my obsession with Twilight, but that will have to wait.

This blog I found is awesome! Check it out: I may need to get the Buffy action figure and the Edward Cullen doll to go with my Angel puppet.

http://jezebel.com/5298281/whatever-edward-cull+ken--youre-not-the-sparkliest-doll-on-the-block

(I love the quip from Buffy in the comments: "Oh, yay. It's a disco-vamp.")

But, the best part? The clip on this page. It's phenomenal. I miss Buffy!

http://jezebel.com/5298683/buffy-shuts-down-edward-cullen-in-the-best-clip-ever (I may need to check out other Rebellious Pixels work).

Awesome Birthday

2009-06-23T18:12:00.005-04:00

This past weekend was my birthday and I had the most amazing time! On Friday four of my friends took me out for dinner. The food was great and the company was excellent (Sue refused to be in the picture).
On Saturday a group of us travelled to Niagara Falls to really celebrate my birthday. I always like to do something crazy and fun for my birthday. This year it was a trip to the casino for some gambling. I used to work there, but wasn't able to check out the casino so I was excited to check it out.

Originally we were going to check out the Maid of the Mist as a touristy thing to do before the casino (since I've never really done anything touristy at the falls - on my grade 8 trip to the falls we went shopping). But, Sharon's friend Nick recommended that we head over to the American side and check out Goat Island and go to the Cave of Winds (http://www.niagarafallsstatepark.com/Activities_CaveOfTheWinds.aspx). It was the best suggestion. Cave of the Winds takes you into the Bridal Veil Falls (in between the Horseshoe and American falls). We were able to stand pretty much directly under the falls. It was wicked! I loved it. I highly recommend checking out if you are ever in the area. It was only $11 and worth every penny. We were soaking wet by the end. I could have stayed for hours (above: the group before and below, the group during).
After getting soaked, we walked around the falls area and it was pretty cool. It was an overcast, rainy day. It would be nice to go and check it out again when it's nice.

We then headed back to Canada and got cleaned up at the hotel. Off to find a place to eat. We ended up eating at the Shoeless Joe's at Fallsview. The food was quite good (surprisingly so) and the beer was nice and cold! Tim had worn jeans to the falls and they had to be dried out at the hotel, then at the end of dinner he spilled an entire glass of water on his jeans. Poor Tim.

The plan was to play craps at Fallsview, but the tables were a little out of our price range. So, we decided to head over to Casino Niagara. I had such a good time. Julia kicked some butt at throwing the nice; I once again learned that I should not touch the dice at a craps table. After a few hours of me losing money we decided to head out for some dancing (to me it's an awesome birthday if I get to dance).

After the bar we went back to the casino and ended up playing craps until they closed the table. Then I decided it would be a good idea to try some poker (at 4am). Not a good idea. But, I had an awesome time regardless of how much I lost at the casino (but, I only lost what I could afford to).

It was a phenomenal birthday and I am so thankful for all my awesome friends that made it so memorable!

Horrible Female Character

2009-06-23T18:05:00.002-04:00

So, I'm once again listening to a book on CD in my car. The problem with this one: the main character. She's SOOO annoying. I'm listening to a book called Ladykiller. The main character is a female lawyer but she has no backbone whatsoever. Now, I don't know a lot of lawyers, but I've always been under the impression that they kind of know what the hell they are doing. This character lets everyone walk all over her and doesn't stand up for herself at all. Now, I suppose there could be lawyers like that, but I find it very unbelievable. I find myself yelling at her constantly. Come on people if you are going to write a female character could you not make her more strong-willed? I think the book would have been more interesting (as it would not have affected the story) if she had have shown some bit of a backbone.

Finished Knitting Project

2009-06-02T21:55:00.004-04:00

A friend asked me to knit something for her baby and so I decided to try a pattern from my new book. This pattern had a number of different things going on. I'm really happy with how it turned out. It isn't perfect, but I learned a number of new techniques. I hope Aiden likes it!

Olympic Uniforms

2009-05-07T21:14:00.002-04:00

I can't believe our government voted to include seal products in the Canadian Olympic uniforms. They don't have better things to do? If they want to do something about seals then maybe they should vote to end the seal hunt. That seems like a much better use of voting time. Normally I love Canada - right now I'm not happy with it at all.

I hope the Olympic committee decides that this is a bad idea and I hope that our government finally ends the seal hunt.

Books on CD

2009-05-05T20:58:00.003-04:00

I almost always have a book on CD playing in my car. Back when I was driving to Niagara Falls everyday I found that this really helped with the long drive. I still find it helpful for the short drives to work - there are even times when I don't want to get out of the car because I want to know what happens next.

The book I'm listening to right now is really throwing me. I think the voice actor read another book I've listened to - where she was reading as a sixteen year old. In the current book she's supposed to be a thirty year old woman, but she sounds exactly the same. So, when she's talking about having sex with the hot neighbour it really throws me. Maybe she just sounds really young.

Last week I finished listening to the latest Janet Evanovich book and I already miss Stephanie Plum. Lorelai King (sp?) is such a great voice actor. I can't wait for the next installment.

Dollhouse

2009-05-05T20:42:00.002-04:00

This last episode of Whedon's Dollhouse was sooo good. Even though the spoiler was out on the net months ago it still threw me.

There are still parts of the show I'm not too keen on, but for the most part I am really enjoying this show. I really hope it gets picked up for another season.

-spoilers-
So, the rumour on the net way back at the beginning of the season was that Wash from Firefly was Alpha (the rogue doll). I forgot all about the rumour because there hadn't been much talk of Alpha since then. Part way through Friday's episode there was Wash, not acting at all like what I expected Alpha to be like so I actually thought the rumours were wrong and that Alan Tudyk was just in the show. The scenes with him and Helo (he'll always be Helo from BSG to me - Tahmoh Penikett) were awesome. I was laughing my ass off. And then.... he totally turns into Alpha. Awesome!
- end spoilers-

The episode before that was great as well. Topher being all nerdy and having fun was really good.

Eve of Destruction

2009-05-04T11:26:00.004-04:00

Last week I downloaded a song from itunes that I hadn't heard in ages. I don't know when / why it disappeared from my ipod, but I realized that 'Eve of Destruction' by Barry McGuire was missing and went ahead and purchased it.

I love this song. It's definitely one of my all-time favourites and that goes back to probably when I was five years old. Now, when I was 5 I had no idea what the song was about, but I'm sure it was one of the ones I played over and over again - and that continues to be the case. There is just something about this song.

I loved my father's record collection. Well, I also loved my mother's but they were very different. My dad's collection consisted of all these cool albums with crazy artwork that just mesmerized me (the album for The Who's Tommy had me enthralled). I wanted to understand the stories behind the covers and would make up my own stories about what they meant. My mom's collection was mostly 45's. No artwork there - just fun songs for me to dance around the living to.

I think I may go and check out the albums tonight and take myself back to all those days I spent on the floor of the dining room (that's where the stereo was) sifting through the covers and replaying songs over and over again.

Driving Range

2009-04-30T08:45:00.003-04:00

Last night I hit the driving range for the first time this season. I'm playing tomorrow morning with some of the guys from work and figured I better get some practice in first so I don't make a complete fool of myself.

I'm definitely getting better. I didn't curse near as much as normal :)

I tried out most of my clubs and found that one of the clubs I don't normally use was my favourite last night. So, we'll see if that transfers to the golf course.

If I play more than normal this season I may consider upgrading more of my clubs. Over the past couple of years my dad has been giving me money for my birthday to buy a new club. I have my step-mother's old set and they have served me very well.

The County

2009-04-26T16:27:00.002-04:00

This weekend I headed to Goderich (Huron County) for the weekend. I was talking to a friend on my way up to Goderich and mentioned that it's my happy place. Which is funny considering how hard I fought to get out of there, but I always feel so at peace there.

I had a great day hanging out with my friend Sharon and we had a good bitch session :)

Saturday morning was amazingly hot and then in the afternoon it just poured rain. After the rain the trees looked amazing on my ride home today. I already miss it and can't wait to head home again.

Lars and the Real Girl

2009-04-07T22:43:00.002-04:00

This week I've actually been watching the movies that I picked up from the library. Last night it was 'Lars and the Real Girl'.

This was a movie that I really wanted to see last year. I love Ryan Gosling and am always impressed with his choices. This movie was no exception. I cried and laughed a lot during this movie. I read some comments on IMDB.com afterwards (which I normally do after I watch a movie). One of the threads started out very negative. They seemed to feel that a community would never rally around someone like this. The more I think about it, the more I appreciate growing up in Goderich. I have many issues with growing up in such a small town (and in no way will I say that Goderich is tolerant), but I do believe that small towns can be very accepting and loving. I know that sounds like I've contradicted myself. Without getting into specifics Goderich has shown me its intolerance and its acceptance.

But, back to the movie. Check this out, let me know what you think. I thought it was great and once again it is a movie that makes me think. It wasn't just Ryan that was so great in this film, it was everyone.

Daffodils

2009-04-05T19:44:00.002-04:00

Have you bought your daffodils from the Cancer society this spring? I bought mine today. They always make me think of my mom. From what I can remember, when I was young our house was always full of daffodils at this time of year. I don't think she bought all of those daffodils, I think she actually was a volunteer for the Cancer society (hopefully my aunt will be reading this and let me know if I'm right on this one).

Either way the spring daffodils make me very happy and I love seeing them on my counter.

Boy A

2009-04-03T23:46:00.005-04:00

I just finished watching 'Boy A'. My trainer recommended this movie and I am definitely going to recommend it as well. It is definitely a movie that makes you think, and I believe I'll be thinking about this one for awhile.

I think it's a better movie if you don't have any knowledge or expectations going into it. Go check it out.

Amazing Race

2009-03-29T20:34:00.004-04:00

Today on the Amazing Race the teams are in Thailand. Unfortunately, they had a road block (or whichever type it was) that was really upsetting. They had to pose with a tiger that was being poked to snarl for the camera. That was horrible to watch. But, not near as bad as watching the elephants. The poor elephants have been trained to squat over people. Those poor animals. I'm very disappointed in the amazing race for choosing a challenge like this.

Wii Fit - Finally

2009-03-29T20:05:00.002-04:00

Last year I purchased a Wii. The reason - Wii Fit. I had read a great blog about how good this game was and I was intrigued. I asked a few people and heard that this would probably be a great gaming system for me. I've never been a big fan of video games but I was really intrigued. So, I bought the system and then tried to find Wii Fit. Well, it took a year and I finally found one. In the last year of having my Wii I've had fun with the games I do have. Star Wars Lego has been pretty frustrating - my dad laughed at me a lot when he watched me trying to figure it out. But, I now have it figured out and love it!

The Wii Fit kind of started out the same way. My friend Julia had warned me that it would probably frustrate me (as those of you who know me realize - I do not have that thing called patience). I hooked it up Friday night and listened to the game tell me how overweight I was (like I really needed a game to tell me that). But, it also told me how balanced I am. I actually keep 50.2% of my weight on my left and 49.8% on my right (pretty darn balanced considering I have a bum right knee). I decided to start with the hula hoop game and I LOVE it. Now, I love the hula hoop part, but starting out I could not figure out how to catch the hula hoops being thrown at me.

I moved on to some other games and realized that I really didn't like the soccer ball game. I kept getting hit in the head with flying shoes. Then I tried one of the strength exercises and it kept telling me to raise my left leg, which I was doing. Finally I tried my right and it worked. I got really frustrated and thought Julia was right! This game is annoying.

I voiced my frustrations to some friends and they suggested that I turn the board around as it may be backwards. I had assumed that since it was working it was pointing the right way (not realizing it would work both ways). But, that was the issue. Boy did I feel stupid.

Today was my second day on the Wii Fit and I really love the hula hoop games. I am doing great at those and now that the board is facing the right way I'm doing even better. I tried more of the yoga games today. My brother has always told me that I should try yoga, but I have always felt that I don't have the patience for it. Apparently my brother knows me very well. I am kicking butt on the yoga poses so far. I have almost perfect balance on poses I've never done before.

I'm liking my Wii Fit and hoping that I stick with it. It also tells me when I've missed a day (it asks where I was), so I hope that guilts me into doing a workout every day.

BSG - The Finale

2009-03-21T11:10:00.002-04:00

Spoilers Ahead!

Last night was the finale of Battlestar Gallactica. I headed over to Julia's for the pre-game show and the 2 hour finale. This last season has left me a little cold. I didn't watch every week when the episode was on because it just didn't hold my interest like other seasons had.

The first hour / hour and a half was really good, but the last half hour sucked (well, other than Helo being alive). It was just a really big let down. They should have ended when they jumped to Earth. That would have been an excellent ending, the ships with Earth in the background? Way better than the ending they did do. Now, I'm sure it doesn't help that I'm not an Odama / Laura fan. I just don't see the chemistry there so I didn't believe their relationship at all, and if I don't see the chemistry it just annoys me. I also really hate Lee's hair at the end and found it really distracting. I SO like the military look and hated his puffy hair.

But, overall the series was excellent and I can't wait to watch it again from start to finish on DVD.

The Heat Saga - Part 3 - Bob The Plumber to the Rescue

2009-03-09T23:42:00.002-04:00

My dad is awesome! After all the crap of the week (and let's just say depression reared its ugly head and last night was not so good) I was starting to worry that it would never get resolved.

Last night Direct Energy were supposed to come by and take another look, of course, they didn't show up. My dad had stopped in on Friday and he thought there really wasn't a major issue, but they didn't show up. My dad did show up and probably within an hour of him being here I got a call to let me know I had hot water.... here's the kicker, they had left the PART! My dad didn't even have to go to the store, they never even attempted to install / fix the part that turned out to be the problem.

I can't believe how crazy this week was.

The Heat Saga - Part 2

2009-03-04T18:23:00.002-05:00

Tonight there is some good news: my insurance company is awesome. They aren't paying for a new heating unit, but they are putting me up in a hotel. My friends have been awesome (thanks C&M) but I feel bad for just showing up at someone's house and sleeping there. The hotel will be close to home so that I can make sure the kitties are okay.

My dad is hopeful that he will be able to put in a unit that I own and I won't have to pay anymore money to DE. They have not been calling me back at all and I'm so sick of them.

I was also able to get my charges with DE separated off of my gas bill.

The house is warm today - the space heaters actually work (but not looking forward to my energy bill this coming month). The lowest it got to was 47 degrees.

The Heat Saga

2009-03-03T18:22:00.004-05:00

This past weekend I went away on a work retreat. The company I now work for goes on two retreats a year. The owner has a piece of property up near my dad's place and invites the company up for a weekend of poker, food and snowmobiling or snowboarding.

After a fun weekend up north (where I was the chip leader for most of the night - but more on that in another blog), I came home to rest.

It was kind of chilly in my condo, but I was so tired I really didn't think about it too much and had a nap. When I woke up it was even colder. So, I called my dear old dad to find out what I should be looking for. Well, there was no heat or hot water and we could not get it to turn on.

Since I rent the hot water tank (which to make a long explanation short also handles the furnace / heat - it's a dual unit), I called Direct Energy. I stayed up until after midnight waiting for them to come and check it out or to call me back. Of course, neither happened. Enbridge who supplies the gas - hey, they showed! But, it wasn't a gas problem. I ended up having to take the day off on Monday to wait for the direct energy guy to show up. He did, he misdiagnosed the problem and I had to wait for a part that I actually didn't need (great). So, the next guy did some further checking. The unit is done and has to be replaced. Okay, let's get that done because now it is 51 degrees in my house. Well, they need to schedule and get a variance, blah, blah, blah. This is at 3pm. But, of course nothing happens for the rest of the day. So, today they sent out another guy who checked to see if I had attic access. Of course, none of the three guys that have been here before checked for that. NO, of course not. Because now I'm on day 3 of no heat (when it's -20 out there) we wouldn't want to speed things along. So, it turns out I don't have attic access so now we are waiting for the condo complex to get them into the neighbour's condo. After that maybe they will schedule the replacement that is going to cost me over $1000 (yet, it's a RENTAL). Plus, my rental costs will double.

Thanks to a friend's suggestion I have now called my insurance company and they are sending out a contractor to look to see if I'm covered under my house policy.

My dad is also looking into some other options and maybe he will be able to do the work and then I will own the unit and won't have to pay direct energy another penny.

I highly recommend that if you pay them any of your money now that you get out from under them. They are horrible and their customer service is non-existent.

Now I'm on the phone with them again and of course they haven't kept track of my previous calls so I am now on my 6th case number (in 3 DAYS)!

Horrible Book - Sorry Michelle

2009-02-15T08:48:00.003-05:00

I just finished reading Inkheart. It took forever and I couldn't wait for it to end. My cousin recommended and lent the book to me, so I expected something that I would really enjoy. Unfortunately, I thought it was extremely badly written. Excellent premise, but not well executed (pretty much how I felt back in the day when I attempted to read Anne Rice). There were a number of times when I did not believe the choices the characters made; it took over half the book to get to the premise. I recommend staying far, far away from this book and series.

Bath Mat

2009-01-16T09:40:00.002-05:00

I just finished weaving in the ends on my new bath mat. This project was knit with three strands of cotton. It was weird working with more than one strand at a time, the yarn kept getting twisted and drove me crazy.

But, the mat is super soft! I'm using it next to my bed for now (due to the cold mornings), until I complete the rug I'm going to start next.

Here's the finished project (there is one end that went a little wonky):

Baby Kimono

2009-01-12T15:04:00.002-05:00

For my friend Christi's baby I wanted to knit something different. I found a pattern for a baby kimono. The picture showed it in white, but I actually had a patterned yarn that I decided to try. I'm really happy with how it turned out and Christi actually brought Aiden over last week and he was wearing it (no pictures of him though).

Knitting Pictures - Finally

2009-01-12T14:29:00.007-05:00

I've been knitting a lot more and am actually working on four projects right now with ideas for a number of others.

My beautiful niece was born last September and I had been knitting a blanket for her since February when I found out Megan was pregnant.

I worked on the blanket on the plane twice, in a number of bars, quite a few nights of trivia and, of course, at my Grandma's. I didn't finish the blanket until the flight out to meet Fiona, but I was so happy with how it turned out. Here are pics of the finished project:

I love how the border turned out (which is what was completed on the plane).

Below is my brother with Fiona out in the crazy snow in Vancouver with her blanket:

Golden Globes

2009-01-12T13:53:00.003-05:00

Last night was the Golden Globes which I watch for the fashions and to see who will get crazy drunk and make a crazy speech. I loved Ricky Gervais' speech (and the fact that he came out with a pint of beer).

My favourite fashion of the evening was Kyra Sedgwick http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2009/01/live_the_red-carpet_looks_from.html#photo=55. I love the red dress!

Least favourite for sure was Renee Zellweger http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2009/01/live_the_red-carpet_looks_from.html#photo=53. There is definitely something wrong with the top of the dress.

And was it just me or was Demi Moore's dress see-through when she was on stage?

Buffy Revisited

2009-01-04T16:54:00.002-05:00

It seems that I have a tradition every time I'm between contracts. I'll throw on the first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I have all seven seasons of Buffy and all five seasons of Angel on DVD and a five-disc DVD player. The DVD player makes it a little too easy to watch a season of a tv show on DVD. Most tv shows are about 6 discs long, so I can put almost the entire season in the player and not have to get off the couch for like 15 hours of TV viewing. It's crazy.

My latest contract ended about a month ago and after a nice trip to the Caribbean, I fell right back into my pattern of watching Buffy. This is probably the fourth time I've done this, but I haven't always gotten through all seven seasons. Last night I finished the last episode of the seventh season and I don't think I've watched season seven more than twice. There was a lot I seemed to have missed.

The second season remains my favourite: the season where we first see Angelus and contains my favourite episode "I Only Have Eyes For You".

I didn't dislike Buffy with Riley near as much as I have in the past and really wanted Buffy and Spike together (but, of course, for her to end up with Angel - I guess I should start reading the comic books to see if that has happened). But, I realized that everytime Angel was back for an episode the show was much better. It was just so much better when he was in the show.

While watching the seventh season I was once again reminded of how annoying the 'potentials' (the slayer wannabe's) were. It was so annoying, it had been bad enough to have two seasons of Dawn being annoying. Of course, the seventh season had Nathan Fillion and he is so great!

But, even with the annoying bits, it was still an excellent show and I miss it. The special features included an interview with Joss Whedon going over his favourite episodes and moments. Joss is amazing and now I feel the need to rewatch Firefly (and of course, Serenity) and Angel (all five seasons).

Unfortunately, I've been sick for the past week so the last three seasons of Buffy were kind of watched in a haze.

End of the Year

2008-12-27T10:18:00.003-05:00

It's been so long since I've blogged! So much has been going on, I probably won't even remember all of it.

Currently, I'm hanging out at home after an excellent Christmas. Last year wasn't so great so I was a little concerned about this year's. I headed to Goderich on Christmas Eve to be with my Grandma. The drive up was really good due to the rain: the back roads were clear! Unfortunately, once getting to Goderich I ended up driving all over town trying to locate some Eggnog. I finally bought the last two cartons at the fifth store. Christmas Eve was spent with friends and family and way too much food. Another crazy Christmas morning at Grandma's, Karen was given a guitar and she was so excited! In the afternoon I hooked up my wii and Grandma and I played some bowling and golf. Dinner was spent at my Aunt Judy's and dinner was excellent. I spent most of the evening playing with the dog (it really made me want a dog, but I don't think the cats would let me do that).

After Christmas Sharon came to visit and we had a night of Wii fun. We were totally addicted to Dancing with the Stars. Unfortunately, the next day I woke up with a wicked headache. I thought it was from the beer and the wii. It was not. I've been sick since then, so just about two weeks now. I've never been sick for this long and I hate it. After a week I decided to go to the doctor and he believes I have bronchitis. Blech! The antibiotics make me nauseous and give me a metallic taste all day and night. I also have $70 cough medicine (and no I don't have benefits). It has codeine in it and I had forgotten that codeine and I don't get along. I actually don't sleep well on anything that is supposed to help you sleep. I've only been able to sleep for two hours at a time for the past two weeks (so lots of naps) and crazy-ass dreams. I'm looking forward to getting over this!

Olympic Hockey Tickets

2008-12-10T18:30:00.001-05:00

So, Julia and I just found out which tickets we have for the Olympics in Vancouver in 2010 and I am ecstatic that we did get tickets to the women's gold medal hockey game. That was the one event that I really wanted and we got it! We have tickets to a number of other events as well, but that was the big one and we got the A seats.

Madonna, meh

2008-10-24T19:30:00.003-04:00

So, I went to my first Madonna concert last week. I was excited, I had heard she puts on an amazing show. Julia, Jana, Trish and I met up at union station just before the concert started at 8pm. We had tickets up in the 300s. But, when we got there, they were actually pretty good. We were kind of straight on to the stage. While we were waiting for the show to start we were checking out the audience. There were some drunk women everywhere! It was crazy. We were having great time watching everyone. About 8:15/8:30 a DJ came out and got everyone pumped up. That was good, but then... nothing for a good hour. It was crazy. The DJ was pretty good and the vibe was good but then he left the stage and we waited for over an hour for Madonna, so all the good vibes went away. I was not impressed. It reminded me of the SARS concert, when AC/DC had an amazing set and then The Rolling Stones made everyone wait for over 45 mins (which doesn't seem like long until you've been at the event for over 12 hours). I was annoyed!

Finally the concert started. The screens and the video were phenomenal! It was crazy how good the production value was on the stage. There she was on a thrown. It was impressive. But, there was something missing from the performance. I'm really glad I went, but it wouldn't even make my top ten concerts of all time. Now, granted, I'm been some pretty phenomenal concerts. But, I don't think it was even as good as New Kids on the Block. I had a lot more fun at that concert (not that it is in my top 10 either).

The most fun I had: was after the concert was done and Holiday came on over the speakers and Julia and I were dancing in the stands. That was fun.

Welcome Fiona Judith!

2008-09-29T23:31:00.002-04:00

Welcome my niece, Fiona Judith! Congrats to my brother Jason and my sister-in-law Megan. I can't wait to go out to BC to meet her.