Dank. Yes, it's a word. Dank.

Hey everyone,

This is another one of those 'strange coincidences' type of posts :-) Sort of The Secret Revisited I guess lol.

I'm sure most of you have a small library of words in your head that just sound strange when you hear/see them. Yes? No? Sure you do!

When I was in high school, can't remember exactly which grade, I read the word 'dank' in a book. At the time, I thought it was a mis-print, but looked it up in the dictionary anyway. Yes ... the dictionary, that old paper version of what we now call Google lol

Sure enough, it's a word.

Dank
–adjective, -er, -est. unpleasantly moist or humid; damp and, often, chilly: a dank cellar.

It was one of those strange words for me, so I decided to store it away for future use :-)

That same year, we had a substitute teacher for English class, for an extended period of time. He was the older brother of one of my classmates. During his stay, we had to write a paper. My report contained the word 'dank'. The report was returned, the word was circled with an 'x' next to it, and the comment 'Not a word' written next to it, in red.

I was mad! It WAS a word. I knew it was, but I didn't argue it. (I know, I know, I heard that collective gasp out there! She didn't argue it?!?!?!? LOL) Partly because he was the brother of a friend, partly because he was a teacher. I wasn't accustomed to arguing with teachers. What can I say? I was young and still hadn't grown into my brass balls yet ;-)

That one experience solidified that word in my mental data bank though. Anytime I came across it in a book in the years to come, I would remember that paper, and that substitute teacher, and wish I had spoken up and said 'Yes, it IS a word ... does that change my grade at all?????' ;-)

Fast forward almost 20 years.

A couple of weeks ago, I was scrolling through my Friend list on one of the social networking groups I'm a member of, and landed on the classmate from my English class. Substitute teacher's brother. I remembered the 'dank' incident. And smiled :-)

A couple of days later, in end-of-day conversation, (with the guy I have been giving a drive home after work) the subject of high school, teachers, classes, etc. comes up and the 'dank' story comes to mind, so I share it with him. He wasn't familiar with the word. We chuckle about the fact that (substitute) teachers aren't always right ;-)

The next day, my favourite morning radio dude asks the question "What was something you learned from a teacher?" Meaning some life lesson apart from the three R's. One lady called in and said one teacher had taught her to stand up for herself. Immediately I thought about the whole 'dank' story, and thought to myself 'I learned substitute teachers aren't always right! I wish I had learned that other lady's lesson earlier too!!!' lol

Although I knew it wasn't the 'feel good moment' he was looking for, after I got to the parking lot and parked my vehicle, (because we're not legally allowed to drive and cell here anymore) I shared my 'dank' story with my radio dude anyway (off-air), cause we chat about 'stuff' like that :-) He wasn't familiar with the word either, and asked me to use it in a sentence LOL. I was able to do so. ;-)

Later that same afternoon, I headed outside for a break from the cube. I found myself a sunny patch, parked my butt, opened my new Lisa Jackson book (Hot Blooded), and started the Prologue. On the second page, 1st paragraph I read the sentence ...

"A hot June breeze, heavy with the dank breath of the Mississippi, blew through the open window."

There it was. Making it's appearance after I'd thrown it out there all week.

My previous thoughts on The Secret: "It's about the Law of attraction. What thoughts/words/actions you throw out there into the universe, good or bad, you attract back to you."

Dank.

It is a word.

Have a great weekend all!

K

Is she Friendly or Flirting? An 11yr old's perspective.

A couple of days ago, while driving the boys to school, the Morning Dude on my favourite radio station asked a question to his listeners.

"How do you know if a woman is being friendly, or if she's actually flirting?"

I just couldn't resist ... I HAD to turn around and ask the boys "Well, what do you think?"

A bunch of their answers were pretty hilarious, but the one that almost made me spit my mouthful of coffee into my windshield, was when Alec (11) said "She sticks her leg out!"

Alrighty then!

Once I managed to swallow the coffee, (which is NO easy task when you're trying not to laugh or choke!) I asked "What do you mean 'sticks her leg out'?"

He said "you know ... they lift their leg and stick it out!!!"

Um. Ok. I'm still not quite sure what he meant ... I'm thinking he meant like when a couple are kissing, and the girl, if she's really into it, will sometimes bend the knee back, sort of lifting the leg up.

Like this …

Or maybe I'm totally wrong ... and what he really meant was like this …

or this

GOD I hope not …otherwise I’ve been doing it all WRONG!!!!

The reason I almost lost the coffee, was because when he said it, I immediately had a mental image of a woman walking up to a guy, lifting her leg up and sticking it straight out in the air and yelling 'DATE ME! I'M FLIRTING!’... you know ... like a dog lifts his leg when leaving his scent everywhere...

That's why my coffee almost met my windshield.

He's thinking Scarlet O’Hara; I'm thinking pissin' in the wind LOL. Which I guess is sometimes what flirting/dating feels like these days anyway ;-)

It was the running joke around the house all night. One of the boys would walk up to me unexpectedly, stick their leg out in the air and say 'DATE ME!!! DATE ME!!!'

Ok ... I'm finding humor in the small things ... I definitely gotta get out more! Now where’d I leave that copy of Flirting for Dummies …?

K.

I've Quit Selling ... and Quitting

Clear? Good! ;-)

Hey Everyone!

There are two questions I have been asked repeatedly over the last couple of months. 1) How's the house selling going?" Accident Update, Basketball, Moving and Belle and 2) "How's the quitting smoking going?" I saw a Hypnotist yesterday and I hit a Deer today...

I've decided to answer those questions here. I've quit both. Selling, and Quitting.

Quitting is not a characteristic I generally encourage, in either myself or my kids, but we've talked about it, and they know the selling is simply postponed for a couple of years (which they're actually happy about lol), and the quitting smoking ... well ... yeah, I've gotta work on that one (which they're not as happy about).

The house just needs too much work right now to try and sell it for what I want it sold for.

We had many showings. Which was good and bad. Good because there was lots of traffic through the house, which means people were definitely interested in the location. Bad because they all pretty much said the same thing. "Too much work in the basement". Which didn't come as a surprise to me. Some day, I'll fill you in on the Renovation/Demolition Project story ;-)

The other bad thing about it, is that I find it really creepy knowing strangers are going through my house. And it certainly didn't help that I started reading John Saul's Perfect Nightmare the same time the For Sale sign went up! "If you open your house to strangers, who knows who might come in? And what they might be after? Or who?" Yeah ... K ... way to creep yourself out even MORE Kim!

So, instead of trying to sink alot of money I don't have into the basement right now in order to sell it, or take a loss on the sale, I've decided we'll stay here another couple of years. I'll tackle the (w)rec(ked) - room a bit at a time, and try again when it's in a more 'sell-able' state. What I REALLY need, is to be a participant on Trading Spaces! Pick ME Paige Pick ME! Have I got a challenge for you!!!

The non-smoking lasted a few weeks. What can I say. Smoking and coffee ... they're the two vices that get me through the day. Have I cut down. Yup. Can I say I've quit? Not so much. I'll try again. But not today. And most likely not tomorrow.

Nite all, I've got a (w)rec(ked) - room that needs cleaning ... sigh ... again.

Have a great March/Spring Break!

K.

I (could have) put my kids in danger the other night

... well, not really .... but ....

Hey everyone!

No, I didn't leave my kids locked in a scorching hot car with the windows rolled up for hours. I didn't give them the latest set of Ginsu knives, a couple of blindfolds and say 'here ya go boys ... HAVE FUN!'. And no, I didn't take them with me to visit the busiest crack house in Metro.

I did however do something pretty stupid the other night, that COULD have put all of us in danger, and didn't even realize the seriousness of what I had done until after the fact.

6:30pm. Dinnertime. The boys and I are sitting at the table having dinner. Yes, we do that. All sit together at the table every night, have dinner and play "what's the best and worst thing that happened today?" Well, almost every night ... I enjoy dinner in front of the TV watching Hannah Montana every now and then too ya know!!

*** And as a side note, I have to thank author James Patterson for that Best/Worst game. I got the idea a long time ago from his Alex Cross character, who plays it with his own kids lol. Thanks Mr Patterson! *****

Suddenly, I see a man walking up our driveway. As he got closer to the house, I knew right away I didn't recognize or 'know' him.

He knocked.

I answered the door, still trying to swallow a mouthful of steak. Curious as always, Alec was right behind me, and Adam, as always, was a couple of steps behind him.

The man was looking for his missing dog. Apparently he is a new neighbour, and his dog had run away that afternoon. He turned up on my doorstep because he heard Belle barking in our yard earlier in the afternoon, so he was checking to see if her barking had anything to do with his dog. Or maybe Belle's bark sounded like his dog's bark, and he was checking to see if we'd stolen his dog lol. Who knows.

Belle decided to make her appearance at that moment, so he was definitely able to see we had one of our own :-) I told him we hadn't seen his dog, but would keep an eye out for her, closed the door and went back to the table and sat down ... that's when it hit me. Although I hadn't actually let him in, I had just opened my front door, with my kids standing behind me, to a complete stranger. Some guy who had just walked up my driveway and knocked on my door. A man who was bigger than me, and who could have walked into my house with one quick shove of the door. Game over.

Oh I know! I can't think every stranger is a 'bad person', and I certainly don't want my kids being overly paranoid of every new person they meet. I have no reason to fear a stranger coming to my door in my neighbourhood. Despite the fact there were two home invasions last week. Two different areas of HRM. Two different issues. But it happens. One was less than 10 min away from me.

I'll also be the first to admit I read far too many 'thriller' novels, am a Law & Order (original and SVU) and CSI junkie and love a good scary movie that'll mess with your mind as well as make you go Ewwwww!!!! as you're peeking through your fingers. So I could simply have an overactive imagination when it comes to 'stuff' like this.

Having said that, as a single mom, living alone with two kids, you HAVE to think of the 'what ifs' sometimes, even if only to put your mind through a mental drill of sorts ... 'what would I do if ....' Cause ya know what my friends, although those shows/movies go to the extreme for the shock factor, alot of that scary sh*t happens ... where you least expect .... when you least expect.

About 10yrs ago, the ex and I were sitting in the downstairs rec room one night, watching TV, chillin'. It's around 10pm-ish. Front door opens and two good sized guys walked into our house. They stood in the entry way for a minute talking in low voices. When my ex started up the stairs and they saw him, they said they had walked into the wrong house. Mumbled a few other words and then left. Now, they didn't do anything wrong. And neither did Buddy with the lost dog. But THAT'S how fast it happens.

Call me overly paranoid in my own way, but it's easy for the 'OMIGOD! He could have just shoved the door and been in the house in a heartbeat. There'd be nothing I could do, he'd be in.' feelings to set in when you're settled back at the table, looking at your kids and your dinner and thinking wow ... what if .....

I really don't worry about it though. Not on an every day basis anyway. Only when strangers show up at my door ;-) I'm glad I live in a neighbourhood where I trust my neighbours, and really am not afraid to open the door to a stranger without a second thought.

Maybe I should be.

Maybe it's just another 'stranger danger' I'm over analyzing. Who knows.

Gotta go, someone's knocking at the door ...

If you don't hear from me next month, call 911 .... ask them to send Grissom!!!!

Nite all!
K.

Happy Birthday! Please Place Boob Here ......

Hey Everyone!

A week and a bit ago, I had a birthday. I turned 37. I'm not one of these women who lies about her age. My true eye and/or hair colour sure ... but not my age ;-)

It was an interesting birthday this year .... I had my very first mammogram! Yeah. Happy Birthday to me! lol

I've heard the mammogram horror stories for years. I was not looking forward to this experience. But ... ya gotta do what ya gotta do. And this was something I had to do .

Generally women don't get a mammogram until they hit 40. In Nov I developed a slight pain in my left breast. Hmmm ... that's new. I try not to run to the doc for every little ache and pain, but when it was still there and consistent by the end of Dec, coupled with the fact that breast cancer runs in my family, I called my doc, and the appointment was made for the mammo. Scheduled for a month later, on Jan, 31st. Happy Birthday to me LOL.

Over the course of the next month, I told a few friends about my upcoming appointment. I was nervous. About the mammo itself, and of course the results. How many times had I read about how painful this particular procedure is? How many women had I heard say the word "Mammogram" with utter dread in their voices?

Then, one of the girls told about the 'ball bearings!". Yeah. Let's just up the nervous factor a notch shall we? Now I had visions of not only being placed in a vice grip and squeezed within an inch of certain deformity, but also having giant silver ball bearings duct taped onto me at the same time! I could see it now ... my boob was going to be squeezed to look like a flat fish, with one of those little cherry tomatoes in it's mouth ... but it would be silver! WAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH

The closer it got to Jan 31st, the more I reminded myself ... You can handle the pain! When it starts to hurt just repeat to yourself "I had two kids with no drugs! I had two kids with no drugs!"

The 'Big Day' arrives and off I to the hospital I go. Of course there's a HUGE lineup going down the street and around the corner completely blocking my way TO the hospital, so I have to park FAR away ... at a meter, and of course not expecting to have to park at a meter I have no change. UGH! Plug in what I have, hope my time doesn't run out before I get back, and run the couple of blocks to the hospital. When I finally get up to the 3rd floor, worried about the fact I'm about 7 min late, I get off the elevator to a PACKED waiting room. I take my number ... they're on 184 ... I'm #009. Guess I didn't have to worry about being late LOL.

Once I'm through registration and into the lovely fashion attire provided by the hospital, I'm quickly called into .... da da da da .... 'The Room" !!!!

OK ... here we go ... you can do this!

After a couple of minutes of idle chit chat with the tech, I tell her why I'm there, she tells me what to expect, and then brings out .... the Ball Bearings! I almost laughed out loud, and I'm sure she must have been wondering what I was grinning foolishly about :-) They were tiny little gold beads. Almost like a little gold stud earring :-) Once she had them on there with a small piece of tape (no duct tape!), I almost couldn't suppress the urge to ask "Do you have a tassel?" lol

Then we walked over to the vice grip.



I have no idea what the technical term is for this machine of torture, nor do I care to know, to me, it's simply the vice grip. I'm not going to go into detail about the whole procedure, suffice it to say ... it's pretty much 'please place boob here', you're squeezed ... and it hurts!!! HOLY CRAP it hurts!!! When it got really bad, I reminded myself 'two kids no drugs! two kids no drugs!" and it was over. Then, it was on to the other side. And yup, HOLY CRAP it hurt over there too!

But then it was over. And all in all I guess it wasn't REALLY as bad as I thought it was going to be. Damn it hurt! But only for a minute. If you're really interested in reading more about the mammography procedure, you can do so here:

http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=mammo&bhcp=1

http://info.cancer.ca/E/CCE/cceexplorer.asp?tocid=10

http://www.stjohnsmercy.org/healthinfo/test/gyn/TP121.asp


On the bright side, I got back to my vehicle and my time was expired, but no ticket :-) YES! There is a parking meter god!

I got my results back a few days later. All clear. YES! It's believed the pain is being caused by a nerve that was severed during one of the lung surgeries. Why am I being bothered by it now? Cause I just had my freakin' 37th, birthday, I'm gettin' old and fallin' apart that's why! LOL

I still have to meet with my doc for a follow up, but as long as the pain doesn't get any worse, and doesn't cause any other issues, I won't do anything further about it. Now that I know it's not being caused by anything related to breast cancer, I can live with it.

The day got much better after that :-) I took the boys out for dinner to a nice 'family restaurant' that we hadn't tried yet, and they had GREAT food and atmosphere! Then when we got home, the ex showed up with a cake and card from himself and the boys. On the cake ... "29 4 Ever!" LOL ... OK! :-)

Hmmmm .... maybe I'll just try sky diving for next year's birthday ... but still wear the beads ;-p

Have a good week all!

K.

Chivalry is dead ... DEAD I tell you!!!

Hey everyone :-)

Ok, this is a straight up RANT! There. You've been warned ;-)

A couple of weeks before Christmas, I splurged $100 and bought myself a pre-present. A used dishwasher :-) My previous dishwasher (which was also bought used for $100 lol) lasted 3.5 yrs, but finally washed it's last dish in Oct..

I tried washing the dishes by hand for a couple of months. I really did!!! I just couldn't seem to keep ahead of the little suckers, and to be completely honest, I'd put off doing them as long as possible because ... I absolutely HATE doing dishes!!! I'd rather clean 100 toilets, sweep a thousand floors, or do a million loads of laundry than have to do those b*%^$^!'d's.

Growing up, it was my 'job' to help mom with the dishes every night. E...v...e...r...y night! She'd wash, I'd dry. I can still to this day, close my eyes and hear her voice calling down the hall ... "Kimberllllyyyyyyyy Diiiiiissssshhhhheeeesssss"

UGH!

I begged my dad for a dishwasher. Often lol. He had the same answer for me every time ... "We HAVE a dishwasher, Kimberly! She's 12-13-14-15-16-... etc. years old and hasn't broken down yet!!!" Same answer ... every time lol.

I promised myself when I 'grew up', I'd have a dishwasher! And I did, up until Oct :-) I tried the 'dishes by hand thing' again ... didn't like it. Call me spoiled if you like, but ... still didn't like it. So I got myself a 'new to me' dishwasher that works like a dream! Merry Christmas to me :-)

The ex came over and took out the old and installed the new ... WooHoo! Mama's got a new dishwasher dance!!!!! :-)

The old one went out the door and on to the deck. I asked the ex if he'd come over in a couple days time, to help me drag it down to the bin at the road for garbage pickup. He said he would, didn't happen.

That wasn't the rant ;-)

I waited four weeks for it to get to the road ... it didn't. Last night, I said 'screw it!' and finally decided to drag it down myself.

On to the rant ;-)

Before tackling the dishwasher, I brought a few other garbage bags I had thrown on the deck down to the road. While doing so, a neighbours son and his friend started playing basketball in our backyard/driveway..

I don't mind that they do this. They're welcome to play in our yard. They are older, 14ish I believe, and they tolerate my two boys occasionally going out to 'play' ball with them also, because they know they're using our hoop too lol. And I know my boys like the 'games' they have, so neighbours are welcome.

Anyway, I get the bags down to the road, and think to myself "Yes! ... Joe and Jack are there, they'll help me drag that dishwasher down". For sure two 'strappin' young 'uns like them wouldn't let someone like myself, who gets the 'careful, it's windy out there ... don't blow away' jokes (grrrrrr!), try and drag a full sized dishwasher down a long gravel driveway all by herself ......

I grabbed onto it, braced myself, bent the knees, tilted it, prayed I wouldn't pop a lung, and pulled. Hey ... it wasn't that bad :-) Course there was also still a bit of ice on the deck to help it slide along :-) Oops ...no more ice, dragging on wood now ... l...i...t...t...l...e bit heavier .....

At this point, when I started adjusting it's position, trying to make it easier to drag, I expected one of the two boys to yell out "Need a hand with that?" Nothing. I couldn't believe it! Call me old fashioned, but if ever one of my boys saw anyone ... woman, man, child struggling with something, especially if it was someone they knew, I would EXPECT them to say "Need a hand? Can I help?

Nope.

I dragged it across the deck, then down the two steps. Did you know dishwashers make alot of noise when they're slammed down steps? lol After this I needed a break and tilted it back up and stopped for a minute. Now that I was less than 20 ft away, surely they could see what I was dragging and offer a hand ...

Nope.

Now I know some are asking "Why didn't you just ASK them to help you!" and you're right, I should have just spoken up and asked for help, but you know what? I'm just stubborn that way :-) I shouldn't HAVE to ask. Now, I was pissed off. It bothered me that two 'good sized' boys would see a neighbour struggling with something heavy and not offer to help. But, like I said, maybe I'm just old fashioned that way.

Determined now to get this sucker to the end of the driveway, I tilted it and started dragging again across the concrete stones ... yeah ... probably scratched those .... oops, alternative was to tear up the grass though lol. When I got to the driveway, I met my match.

Have you ever tried to drag a full sized dishwasher down a gravel driveway? They tend to sink in those big stones and dirt lol. And get MUCH heavier lol.

I made it a few feet past the corner of the house and could drag no more. I walked over to the basement window and knocked for Alec to come out and help me. No way I was going to get this down there by myself, so I may as well get help from SOMEONE!

I was worried it might be too heavy for Alec, which was why I hadn't asked him to help in the first place. But he came running out, stood beside me and we dragged that baby down there together :-) He made sure to note both times that it was ME who needed to take the breaks, not him LOL. I blamed it on the COPD ;-)

And the B-Ball game played on.

I thanked my Little Man, and reminded myself that I may not be able to control how other kids react in a given situation, but I can certainly keep the art of chivalry alive in my own two boys :-)

Oh, and the neighbourhood kids ... ? They're still always welcome to come over. And if there's ever a next time I need help, I'll simply handle it with a 'get your basketball playin' butts over here and give me a hand boys!' instead ;-)

Later all, time to go load the dishwasher ;-) Have a great weekend!

Kim

Christmas Traditions and Our Adventures on the Road in Mama's New Ride

Merry Christmas to all my family, friends, and friendly strangers who wander into my Korner :-)

Ok, so maybe Merry Christmas isn't the most politically correct way to respectfully wish everyone a Happy Holidays, but I was raised on Merry Christmas, have passed Merry Christmas and all it entails (to me) on to my children, and I'll continue to wish everyone from my co-workers, the store clerk, gas attendant, person in the Tim's drive-thru window handing me my coffee, heck even the guy in the highway toll booth ... a Merry Christmas :-) It makes me feel good to say it, and it makes me feel good to see the smile on the receiver's end :-)

I listen to Christmas music, trim a tree, decorate the house, promote the belief in Santa and try to watch The Sound of Music every year, as I did with my Mom and Dad when I was a kid. That was one thing I noticed that really sucked after Dad died, watching that by myself for the first time. Kenny & Dolly's "I'll be home with bells on" gets me every time too. It was 'the' song to trim the tree to.

One year, I came home from university late in the break, and Mom and Dad had put the tree up, but left it bare until the night I got home. Then we put on K & D, and got that sucker trimmed! :-) Now, whenever I hear that song, that's the memory I have, of that particular night, and it makes me both happy and sad at the same time. Not necessarily a good thing when you're driving by yourself, thinking of Christmas's past, and the afternoon radio host plays it and says "that one's for my Ma" Sigh! Thanks Russell!!! ;-)

I always visit my closest members of my Dad's side of the family, and spend every Christmas Eve with my Mom's family. We gather at someones house, snack, attend mass, come home and have a huge feast of Seafood Chowder and Meat Pies and home made 'sweets' galore! We play music (CD & live), games occasionally, then they all open their presents and we open ours Christmas morning. Except for one after church on Christmas Eve, I was always allowed to open one present then, and now I let my boys open one after dinner on Christmas Eve. I've tried to carry on all the traditions that made Christmas so special in my house, and with my family. Others ... well ... I still haven't managed to get a handle on that 'Christmas Baking' yet, that my Mom was and still is so good at :-D

Mass is another one. I went to mass every Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember, up until a few years ago, when the mass the family was attending became too late to do so with the kids. Also Adam doesn't do well in church ... too long a period to sit still and 'behave'. And on Christmas Eve, you generally have to arrive at least 45 min before mass to get a seat all together, then the mass itself I spend more time saying "stop" or 'shhh' or 'don't' do that please' ... I'm honest enough to admit that now it's just 'easier' not to endure the stress it's become simply to attend. But that's only one of my 'church' issues, and a whole other post.

I sang in the choir as a child, and Christmas Eve mass was definitely my most favourite time of year to be in church. Oh Holy Night, Away in a Manger, Silent Night ... everyone likes their own version on these, but personally, I think you can't beat kids voices on Christmas Eve.

Now, I sing carols in the car with the boys like ...

Alvin & The Chipmunks, Christmas Don't Be Late (in the appropriate voices of course lol)

Shrek versions of 12 Days of Christmas Jingle Bells & Shrek the Halls

Hannah Montana's Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

And of course, the house favourite, I farted on Santa's Lap (now Christmas is gonna stink for me) by The Little Stinkers.

Ahhhh Traditions :-) It's nice to be able to mix old and new.

Being an only child, I ALWAYS went home for xmas. After the boys came along, and since the separation, things seem to be different every year now lol, so along with tradition, comes a little spontaneity ;-) And therein lies the magic of Santa ... he ALWAYS managers to find the boys, where ever they are :-D

This year, they were with me. I stuffed all the wrapped presents, unwrapped presents, extra wrapping paper, bags, tape, bows & tags into two big Rubbermaid bins, and put two small hockey bags and a suitcase worth of clothes into the back of the vehicle, boys got comfortable with forts and blankets, tunes ready and we were on our way :-) I had the presents wrapped for the first two stops on our trip, and some for the third, none of the boys, so I figured since Christmas was still four sleeps away ... I'd wrap on the way :-D Two nights of 3am wrap-fests and I was done! :-D

We left Friday night after work for Truro, and spent the night with Cassandra and Hayden. From there, we left on Sat for the Miramichi, yes, back to the land of freak tornados and golf ball hail storms! and spent a couple of days with my cousin and his family. No freak weather disturbances this time, just a nice pleasant visit with family :-)

We landed at Mom's mid-afternoon on Christmas Eve. It's times like these I feel bad for Gilles ... Mom's significant other. He's a nice guy, quiet, calm, ... unlike us ... who can't quietly make an entrance, wipe our feet, give hugs & kisses and merry wishes all around ... no, we've got to blow in like the forces of natures my children have been named after ... cyclones, hurricanes and earthquake mama's comin' in ... TAKE COVER!!! Head for higher ground!

Hi Grammy! Hi Gilles! Boots flying, arm-loads of 'stuff' dropped, Adam diving under the tree to see what's there, Alec talking a mile a minute about the 'coolest' game or movie he's seen, me with arms draped in gift bags, looking somewhat like a weighted down cactus ... with at least 5 more trips to make from the vehicle ... Hi Mom ... we're home! :-)

Everyone grabbed a shower, we had dinner, then the boys were able to open a present. Adam was ecstatic with his new video mp3 player from my mom, and Alec was just as happy with his new Simpsons movie. The movie was an impasse of sorts between he and I. It was a present from me. I have never approved of him watching The Simpsons. I love it myself, but don't believe it's exactly 'kid friendly'. I know I know ... they don't always 'get' the humor ... but at some point, much earlier than many believe, they do get it. And it just doesn't sound 'right' to hear them quoting it, when they don't even understand what they're saying at times. They just know it's supposed to be funny.

Anyway, he's 11 now. It used to be that he would only watch it with his dad, cause he always got "change the channel please" - "But Mom!" from me lol. Now, he's discovered Family Guy, and I have a new nemesis ... Stewie! and that whole Giggidy Giggidy thing ... Grrrrr!!!! Suddenly Bart doesn't seem so bad ... and I've decided to pick my battles on this one ... he's still not an every day Simpsons junkie, but I did get the movie, and the poster, as a truce on this one ;-)

On Christmas Eve, after the present, we went to my aunt and uncle's for the yearly 'gathering'. I can remember as a kid, the anticipation of 'Christmas' would build until about 3pm. Then it was time to jump in the tub/shower and 'get ready'. It was always a 'dress up' event in our family, which made it even better :-) Mom, Dad & I would go to the Children's mass at 7, then back home to open a present and get whatever part of the meal it was that Mom had made for that night :-) Then over to my Grandmother's. Where however many of my Mom's 11 siblings and their families would gather, if they could get the night off, and travel :-) The whole family would party late ... late lol into the night, they would all open their presents, and with that many brothers and sisters, it took awhile!, then we'd head home and we'd do our gift opening the next day. Poor Dad, with a hangover most years, cursing some Barbie toy or other that he didn't realize came with 'some assembly required' LOL.

After the presents were opened, we'd do the same thing, get 'all dressed up' again for food and festivities with Dad's family (5 siblings and families) all over again in the Miramichi :-) Where once again, the celebrations and visiting would go late into the evening. Poor Mom, she was always Designated Driver (before it was actually a term) at these times of year lol, but she never really minded I don't think.

This year, the boys and I still went to the Miramichi, and still gathered with Mom's family on Christmas Eve, but now the gatherings are smaller, end earlier, and really just aren't the 'same'. I guess when the older traditions start to fade, it's time to create some new ones.

Christmas Day with the kids was nice :-) It was definitely 'weird' last year when they were at their Dad's. Last year they had him up at 5:30am. I told them this year ... 'wasn't gonna happen!!!'. There would be NO presents opened ... or eyes for that matter ... before 7am!I was proud of them ... they didn't start with the "Mom ... Mom ... it's Christmas Mom ... Merry Christmas Mom ... Can we go downstairs now Mom?... Huh? Mom? ..... Can we Mom? .... PLEASE???? :-D" until 6:45am ;-)

They flew through their presents, then re-examined them lol, we played with presents and watched movies all day, had Christmas Dinner with family again at Mom's, met Gilles' son and family for the first time when they arrived after dinner, then the boys and I hit the road back home. No ... since so many ask ... highway driving at night doesn't bother me. And no, driving, at night or period, doesn't bother me after hitting the deer.

We arrived at their Dad's just after 9pm, I watched them open some presents there, came home, completely unpacked the vehicle, wandered around the house for a bit then crawled into bed and slept slept slept LOL. Being away for Christmas is exhausting! Late nights visiting, wrapping, putting kids back to bed who can't sleep from excitement! lol

It was nice to visit, but now it's nice to be home! ... although unpacking those Rubbermaid bins now filled again with presents, and 'everything else' isn't so much fun lol.

I even bought a couple of presents for myself this year :-)

We did all of this traveling, in Mama's new ride!!! It took two weeks, but my Insurance determined my other CRV was a write off after hitting the deer, so I decided to get myself a new(er) one.






Merry Christmas to Me!!! :-) Bring on the snow Baby!

The same day I got this, I picked up Keith Urban concert tickets :-) The Country Concert that Cass and I have attended for the past two years is going to be in Halifax this summer, my own backyard!!! WooHoo!!! Keith and three other acts announced so far, with 4 more to come! Did I mention Merry Christmas to me!!! :-)

And Merry Christmas to all of you, my friends, family, and friendly strangers who wander into my Korner :-D

Thank you for stopping by to visit in 2007. I hope you all have a Happy & Safe New Years, and all the best for 2008!

Kim