Finding the beauty

It's a brand new day

Today is a shiny brand new day. 

It's full of promise.  I can make this day into anything I want it to be. 

I woke up early and sipped a hot green tea sitting on the back steps as I watched the sun come up. 

I did my yoga asanas on the deck as I listened to the birds.  It felt good to stretch in the kiss of the warming  sun, made me feel younger and stronger somehow.

I returned inside for my meditation this a.m.  The birds were so loud that I could not clear my thoughts with their cacophony. 

When I returned outside an hour later I felt calm, my racing thoughts quieted, my worries subdued.

I watched the mama birds and their fledglings ...so demanding and putting up such a racket to be fed, their maws stretched wide.   

Mark joined me outside for a coffee and we watched together in silence for awhile.  It was nice, just sitting there side by side on the steps.  Feeling his warmth beside me. 

Too soon, I had to drive him to the train and now I am saying hello, touching base with friends and family and sending virtual hugs through the wonder of the internet. 

Soon I will leave the house.  I have places to go and clients to meet and a few errands to run.

What else will I choose to do with this day? 

This shiny, brand new day, full of possibility.

Today it's all about you

So it's finally here!  It's the last day of Carol's radiation (woohoo!!) and the day of the big meeting when we get to find out what "the big plan" for her treatment will be.  It's all about Carol today.

She's a little apprehensive..(Car if you're reading this I'm right beside you squeezing your hand)

I keep telling myself to breathe. 

"it's all good"....what Car usually says when I'm thinking things generally suck.  I can hear her voice in my head now.

The past few weeks have been quite a ride for her and I think she's ready to get off this particular rollercoaster and take it a spin on the merry-go-round for a bit.

On another note I am in complete awe of all the women who surround her.  Such a powerful, invincible and resilient team- sisters, daughters, cousins, friends, neighbours.  From near & far- the bond is incredibly strong.   

Carol hon, today this is for you- a little cheesy perhaps, but humor me.  (can you believe I even tied in Harry Potter for you? {{{HUGE HUGS}}})

Just for Carol

Once again I've been a bad blogger.  I've accepted the fact that sometimes too many good things are going on and I can't find the time, and other times there's too much crap happening and I just don't feel like it.  In between those extremes I seem to do ok.

Today though I felt compelled to put up a little something for my girlfriend Carol.  Actually she's more than just a girlfriend.  She's my very best girlfriend. 

the kind you can call at 4 a.m. from across the continent with whatever's keeping you awake and know that she doesn't mind and that she's actually genuinely happy you called.

You know, that kind of friend.

Anyways, she's in the hospital right now and I stopped in to visit her yesterday.  As I entered her room she was on the phone telling someone (maybe her daughter or her sister) that they had forgotten to put any Petula Clark on her MP3 player and she was really wanting to hear some.  Now I can't explain why she particularly wanted to listen to Petula, but I dug this up anyways just for Carol.  So I hope you enjoy it hon.

PS.  You know I just realized how very much Carol & Petula look alike....hmmmm a little scary.

PSS I also wonder how much they had to pay those young men to prance around like that....quite a lot I think.

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I am.

I am a good speller.   I love the water.   I’m a bargain shopper.  I wear glasses.  I could eat pasta every day.  I love hearts and flowers. I hate my handwriting.  I miss my mutt, Squishy…still.  I’m a terrible housekeeper.  I color my hair.  I love junk food.  I have a belly ring. I’m a morning person.  I blog.  I take too many vitamins.  I hate dentists.  I’m 39 and still get acne.  I believe in Karma.  I enjoy relaxing in front of a campfire.  I used to be a volleyball player.  I like having my hair brushed. My laundry basket is always full.  I hate talking to answering machines.  I love to take pictures. I might go out for supper tonight. I don’t like beer.  I love animals.  I don’t know how to dress so I’m often in tee shirts and jeans.  I always play by the rules.  I drive a Toyota Corolla. I love to scrapbook and play with paper. I haven’t made my bed in a week. I can always find time for you. I hate my handwriting.  I’m pretty straightforward.  I’m a romantic but I’m also a realist.  I love fruit.  I’m happy laying on the grass watching clouds go by.  I’m going to make this a great day.  And I hope you will too.

80's flashback

So while I'm away I thought I'd leave you all a little nostalgia.  Anyone who lived through the 80's will remember this movie.  Is this where the term yuppie came from? 

The Dating Game

You know how it goes: someone nervously asks you if you "maybe want to do something sometime." You reply with an equally vague "sure." Numbers are exchanged. And then it begins.  The tortuous ritual, we refer to as dating.

Movies and television try to trick us into thinking dating is fun and exciting. In reality, dating is mostly veiled in a cloud of insufferable awkwardness and uncertainty.

Minzo spent the early part of the evening watching the phone. Jumping each time it would ring. Hoping that it would be a certain person calling. Wondering why when guys say they'll call they don't.  Wondering if she should call him.  Wondering why this whole thing has to be so complicated.

Apparently there are rules about dating.  No one really knows what they are or when they apply, so you’re never really sure what rules are in effect on what days.  Your friends are no help, because they don’t know either, but you spend countless hours going over every conversation with them, trying to decipher the hidden meaning behind them, or even if there is a hidden meaning. Should you or shouldn’t you call, no matter what they say, you’ll call another friend for another opinion.  All the while, hoping that while you’re deciding if you should call them, the person in question will call you and save you from being the one to decide.

Watching Minzo, took me back to those awkward times, and makes me realize how VERY happy I am that they are over for me.  I was glad and relieved when she finally she decided to go over to a friend’s house to watch a movie to distract herself from the situation.

This morning she was smiling and get this…singing.  As she sipped her tea and munched on a bagel, she told me about the movie and her evening.  It seems that out of the blue, the boy in question showed up at the friend’s house not too long after she did.  He then squeezed onto the already crowded couch beside her, and then left early just to drive her home even though she was only a 2 minute walk away and his curfew was ½ hour later. 

And in case the meaning is lost on you, this apparently means that she now “knows” he’s interested for sure.  Which makes her feel a whole lot better, because she’s interested as well.

And as you know if you’re interested in someone, it’s always better if they are interested in you.  This especially makes her happy because she doesn’t think he knows that she’s as interested as he is.  Around this point in the conversation, I started to get a bit lost in the nuances, but I think that things are just beginning to get…..interesting.

Just blame it on me

In case you didn’t already know it, parents get blamed for everything.  Good or bad, we’ll be blamed. Even when we aren’t exactly sure why.

Yesterday, after a good morning sleep in, Minzo spent the afternoon shopping with friends.  It is Spring Break after all. 

She came home with a new pair of shoes and announced proudly that she had held back on buying a new spring jacket to save money.  She was all smiles as she recounted how she had found the perfect coat, tried it on, modeled it for her friends as they ooohed and aaahed , but in the end she had put it back on the rack.  And even as they passed by the coat several more times during their shopping, she managed to call on her willpower and not buy it.  Now this may not sound like much, but my little girl is quite the fashionista. 

She believes her clothing desires are needs not wants.  We often have troubles seeing eye to eye on this issue.  For example, we agree on the fact that she needs jeans, but not that she needs 10 pairs.  We also agree that jeans cost a lot, but not that they have to cost $180.  In any case since she started working, she buys her own clothes, so the problem between us is mostly resolved.  But knowing how she feels, I can appreciate the great sacrifice she made in not buying the new coat.

The reason she had that willpower is that she has been saving her money for a new laptop.  She has the money sitting in her bank account so we can go out Thursday and get it.  In any case, last evening at supper she was happy. 

Happy that she was on Spring Break. 

Happy that she had new shoes. 

Happy that she had willpower to resist the coat. 

Happy that she would soon have her new laptop. 

Just plain old happy.

Then the phone rang.  While I was clearing the dishes, I overheard bits of the conversation, a bunch of her friends were going out to the movies.  Without batting an eye, she turned them down, explaining that she didn’t have the money.  I wasn’t sure why she said this (since she definitely had money in the bank, but I didn’t question it.  She had changed into her pj’s before dinner and had her nose buried deep in a book.  Since she had been out the previous two nights I just figured she wanted an evening in.

She hung up the phone after a few minutes but her friends called back twice urging her to go with them.  I kept expecting her to change her mind, but she didn’t.  A few minutes later she disappeared into her room.  She emerged about an hour later and stomped up the stairs with tears streaming down her face.  She then proceeded to blast Mark and I for making her so responsible that she couldn’t have any fun and that all we had succeeded in doing, is to make sure she has no social life. 

What??????

While the two of us stood there rather bewildered at this outburst, she continued, saying that she knew she still ‘needed’ the spring jacket and how she had to give up going to the movies so that she could afford her coat.  And that if we hadn’t taught her to be reasonable and plan ahead, she wouldn’t have this problem.  Furthermore, since we had been so evil as to suggest that she put some of her earnings into long term savings so she could travel or buy a house or whatever, that this was now all she could think about and that because of us her conscious was guilting her into staying home instead of frittering (her word, not mine) all her money on outings and such.  She then stomped back to her room and slammed the door. 

Mark and I were left wondering what hit us.   We weren’t quite sure what we had done wrong.  Mark as usual wants to blame it on hormones (his old standby when he doesn’t understand something any female says), but I’m left feeling like I’ve been fired.  My little chicklet’s conscious is pushing me out of a job.   It’s my job to remind her to be reasonable and responsible and fiscally aware.  What the heck is this conscious thing doing taking over?  I guess it wouldn’t be so bad, if I wasn’t the one getting the blame for it.  After all, I didn’t say a word last night, besides exclaim over how cute her new shoes were.  But like I said in the beginning, parents seem to get blamed for everything.

Another weekend...

Well another weekend has flown by.  We didn’t get out to the Highlights festival like we had planned, but we did lots of other stuff.

Saturday, we were off bright and early to run some errands.  We wanted to check out a bike sale to see if there were any good deals.  And guess what? We came home with 2 new bikes.  Woohoo!  Then we were off to Fitness Depot. 

Mark figures that since I have both a studio and a yoga room to myself, he wants an extra room as well.  So he’s decided to convert the library into a fitness room.  This is fine with me, since the room is definitely under-used.  The only problem is: what to do with the more than 1500 books that are currently housed in the room.  I think I’ll let Mark figure that one out.

Anyways, Mark spent a long time talking to the sales guy at Fitness Depot about what type of equipment he should buy.  He left with a few ideas but his wallet was intact.

Then it was home to do the housecleaning and laundry. Blech!  Afterwards we took the dogs out for a long walk along the skidoo trail then came home for some homemade goat cheese pizza with a salad side.  We spent the evening watching Forest Gump, one of my all-time favorite movies.

Sunday, we spent the day outside snowshoeing over in Rigaud.  No snowmobiles to worry about here, but it is a designated horse trail, so there are other dangers to watch for.  While I was busy looking out for manure, Mark spotted this:

 

Can you see the deer hidden?  They were quite far from us, but I never cease to be amazed at what a good eye Mark has.  He’s always the one that will spot the wildlife, from salamanders to foxes.  Gotta love him for that.  Later on, I snapped this photo of a herd of deer running across the hydro lines.

We were just way too far away to get any real good photos.  I had decided that next time I would not lug my camera around with me as it just seemed to get in the way.  We had a wonderful hike (a lot of it uphill!), we even ran for a couple of 5 minute bursts.  No mean feat in fresh snow.  I was really pleased that my stamina seems to have increased since the beginning of the season.  By this time, it was late afternoon and we were heading back, when we saw this:

 

Still not a great shot, but at least we were close enough for the zoom to make a difference.  In any case, I decided that I’ll continue to carry the camera…..just in case.

Figure it out

I'm a big advocate of not doing everything for your kids. Yes, I realize this is often easier said than done. But nonetheless, it’s what feels right to me.

We have acquaintances who believe pretty much that kids should do very little for themselves because they only get one childhood….or something along those lines.  I am amazed time and again when the mom tells me the things she does for her kids (her daughter is 19 and she still makes her bed & cleans her room!)

But to each his own. I don't know the personal ins and outs of the choices every family makes. And it's none of my business.

So this year, Minz was told to fill out her tax forms by herself. Granted, we expected some mistakes, but we wanted her to TRY to figure it out.   Oh and we didn’t want her to use Ufile either, we wanted her to figure the forms out manually so she’d have a better idea of how they worked.

Basically that’s the concept we use. I'd rather she TRY and be WRONG then be spoon fed every bit of information, or worse yet, have me do it for her.

I don't think parents are doing their children any favors with constant hand holding and doing things for them.  A friend of mine always says she is raising adults- not children.  Her reasoning is that she doesn’t want her kids to turn 18 and still be children. That hits the nail on the head. 

The tax forms were a really big deal.  She was not happy with us. By the look of horror on her face, you would have thought we tried to arrange a marriage for her or something.   She tried every argument to get out of it.

And, for the record, we wanted her to TRY to fill out the tax forms, mess it up, and then get another form so we could go over it with her working out where there were mistakes.

But she would have had to make mistakes for that to happen. The look on Miss Smarty Pants’ face when we confirmed her calculations was priceless.

 

But then it might have also been due to the fat refund she’ll be getting.

Gung hei fat choy

For those who missed out on New Years celebrations back in January, yesterday was the Chinese New Year, so you can start all over again if you like.  A do-over if you will.

I started celebrating this holiday back in high school when my friend Susan invited me to join her family for the celebrations.  I remember feeling a little out of place that first year, 1) because I spoke no chinese and it seemed to be all I heard and 2) because a 6 foot tall white girl really stands out in Chinatown.  Her family made me feel right at home though and her mom and grandmother took the time to explain all that was happening around us....and believe me there is a lot happening during this holiday.  The atmosphere is always amazing.  Full of life and color and happiness.

Susan moved to Calgary 15 years ago, but was in town this weekend and once again invited us to come and party with her family. We had a scrumptious New Year's Eve dinner of seared ahi (tuna) and wontons (my favorites) and lots of other food.  I left the table rather stuffed.

Sunday we headed into Chinatown for another great day in the streets. It was a bit cold but that didn't prevent us from having a wonderful time.

I actually learned a few new things this year, about the holiday.  The first I learned through Susan is that you must open all the doors and windows of your house at the stroke of midnight to allow the old year to go out.

The second was from a lovely lady I met at the celebrations, but I did not get her name.  She advised us never to use knives or scissors on New Years day as this may cut off good fortune.  (Later on when we arrived back home, I decided against scrapbooking because of this warning...funny since I'm usually not superstitious).

All in all it was a thoroughly enjoyable weekend and I went to bed last evening feeling very fortunate indeed.