Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

Mystery Bear

2007-07-14T13:19:00.000-04:00

I bought this bear at a yard sale a couple of years ago. He cost me a whole dollar. When I saw him he just spoke to me and I couldn't leave him there. He has stressed seams, he's balding in places, his paws are cracked and he's missing an eye, but something about him grabbed my attention. He's been a prized possession of mine since I purchased him and he's been on display on our entertainment unit, and now in our spare room. I never really took a close look at him until I was browsing through eBay and found a bear quite similar to him. It was uncanny really. Unfortunately the seller is unable to identify their bear as well. It got me to thinking, are there message boards out there that discuss old teddy bears?

First I took out my bear and gave him a thorough inspection. He's 11 inches from toes to the top of his head (excluding the ears). I'm fairly certain he's synthetic fabric, however I don't know how to tell. His seams are stressed, and he's stuffed with straw. His nose and mouth are yarn, and his eyes are glass. His paws are either vinyl or leather. Either way they are well worn. He has a round circle in his tummy, which I thought perhaps could be a music box or growler of some sort. I really have no idea. His ears are sown on, and his head is sewn in three pieces, including his nose. He has no remnants of a tush-tag, or a tag of any sort. No holes in his ears from a steiff tag, and no markings of any sort other than being well loved.

Any thoughts?

Sara
-Who's starting to get back into collecting old bears.

2007-06-06T20:36:00.000-04:00

I've been tagged! Silly things....GAH!!

My mom tagged me so I'm passing it along!!

Here are the rules:
1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
4. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

Here are8 things you probably didn't want to know about me:

1. I have 14 fish, and 2 bunnies that don't get along, and I think I'm absolutely crazy for it.

2. I have this strange obsession with having to make sure the corners of the bed are always tucked. Untucked sheets drive me insane (thus hubby's side of the bed drives me insane)

3. I can't stop buying house plants. I have no room left and yet I feel the need to be a foster home for the all the flora of the world.

4. If I had a farm big enough I would be a foster home for all the fawna (sp???) of the world.

5. I write children's stories, and one day hope to have them published.

6. I'm convinced that there are monsters in the closet, and that if the closet door is not closed absolutely tight every night, the portal will remain open and a plethora of monsters/ghosts/demons will enter the bedroom and torment me.

7. I secretly like the name Sydney for a girl, I just haven't told Matt yet. I'll wait until we have a girl. I want it to be a surprise. (It grew on me. I hated it for so long but I've cleanses my memory of the horrible children named Sidney at my old daycare).

8. I see dead people. Although I talk to them more often than I see them.

I'm Tagging the Following People:

Nancy Howard
Mélanie Sanche
Karla Veilleux
Bea Tracy
Matt Kent
Heather Warren
Casey Deliva
Crystal Toulouse

It's Gonna Be a Bright, Bright, Sunshiney Day!

2007-03-21T11:30:00.000-04:00

Wow, I can't believe how great a day this has been! I got up this morning feeling pretty tired and not really wanting to get out of bed. I had an optometrist appointment so sleeping in really wasn't an option. So I drag my butt out of bed, shower and get ready to go. I get out into the kitchen and there was a nice big coffee waiting for me! Matt picked one up for me on the way home from work. Awww what a sweetie hehe. It was absolutely delicious and I'm still buzzing from the massive caffeine overdose lol.

Anyway I get to the optometrist and have my check up. I still have perfect vision. He doesn't see my vision changing for a long time. He said barring some unforeseen circumstance, he can't see me needing glasses until well into my 40s or 50s, and even then I'll likely only need reading glasses. So that's some good news! He said to still get my eyes checked every few years, but that he doesn't see any problems at all. Another great start to my morning!

Next stop, the daycare. I got the good news from my doctor in TO yesterday that I can go back to work! I wanted to tell them in person so I drove down to the daycare for a visit. I got to see some of the kids, play a bit and visit with the girls. It was nice to be in there again. I really missed the place. I got to visit and chit chat and everyone is excited for my return. Especially Stephanie lol. The poor girl has had to deal with the SACC kids on her own basically, for three months. So I'm excited to go back and see all my kids, and the parents again.

As I was leaving the daycare I ran into one of my parents. She saw me and said she had something for me. She opens her van door and hands me a small brown envelope. She said it was a late valentine's gift. I smiled, said "Oh, thank you very much!" and stood and talked with her for a few minutes. She was bringing one of her little guys in for the day so we parted ways. When I got in the car I opened the card and it was a $75 gift card for the mall! Talk about exciting! There was a really nice letter in there as well. It said,

"We want you to know how much we appreciate all that you do everyday. We see the extra patience, the extra creativity and the extra love that you give to all the children in your care. You help give the foundation of learning and living to our children. You also teach us through your example how to be better parents. Thank you very, very much."

I was very touched! It's things like this, (the sentiments, not the gifts) that make my job amazing. When I went into the daycare I went to visit the toddler room and the kids all came up to me and hugged my leg, and ran over to me when I was in the chair, giving me huge hugs. I missed that. I love their smiles and their kisses. They give their love so willingly. They love everyone so blindly, and trust you with everything they have. That's what makes my job so amazing.

So after all of that, it's not even 4 hours after I woke up and it's been an amazing day. My day could end right now and I'd be the happiest girl in the world. But just think, it's only 11:42, imagine all the other good things that can happen!

So as I sit here, my bunny is sleeping peacefully on his side under the dining room table, the tv is murmuring quietly in the background and Matt is sleeping soundly in the bedroom after a hard night's work. The sun is shining in the patio door bringing promises of springtime. I see the snow melting, the trees waving in the breeze with the first breath of spring, and the grass is poking it's head out for a warm spring kiss. The first day of spring has sprung with abundance and I can't wait to start gardening again.

Sara
-Who's really enjoying her day today.

Happy St. Patty's Day

2007-03-17T16:52:00.000-04:00

Well another St. Patty's day has come and I don't get to drink, but you know what? What's okay with me. I got to see Keenan yesterday and he looks so fantastic I don't even care that I can't drink. I feel so good about what I did, that the negative aspects don't even phase me. On that note: I feel great today! Everytime I pull my muscle it heals quicker and quicker. I think I'm finally getting this thing licked lol. Maybe soon I can go back to work. God I hope so! lol

The weather today is soooooooooooooo beautiful! It's like 10 degrees outside, a nice breeze, the sun is shining, the sky is clear and the snow is melting!! The weather can stay like this from now until forever hehe. No seriously. I'd be happy with no snow....for...eternity. I would rather fish in a canoe anyways lol. I don't freeze my ass off in a canoe.

So I went looking at house stuff today. Laminate floors, subfloor systems, bathroom vanities and sinks. I can't wait to get into our house and play!! lol....

Mommy WOW...I'm a big kid now!!

Good House Hunting

2007-03-09T16:11:00.000-05:00

Well, Matt and I lucked out! We didn't have to suffer looking through 25 different houses before we found the one we wanted. We looked at some real rat holes. Not even worth the materials they were made with. After sifting through all the crap we found an amazing house out on Capreol.

I have to tell the whole story. Matt and I were out in Capreol on Tuesday to look at a few houses. We looked at one storey and a half that was 1500sqft. We really liked the size of it, it was very outdated and needed to be fixed up, but we thought it might be worth a second look. Admittedly I was having a hard time with this house. I kept telling myself that I was having a hard time with not living in the city. I kept thinking that I was going to have to travel so far to get to work in the mornings. I spent most of Tuesday night and Wednesday thinking about that house and trying to figure out what my problem was with it. There was just something about it niggling at me. A major part of why I didn't like it was that it was electric heat. Matt and I really wanted gas forced air. The cost of the house was $127,500 and then we'd have been looking at close to ten grand for a new furnace. I wasn't feeling overly confident about the house. There was a whole other list of things wrong with it that I couldn't even begin to list. Basically we would have been moving in and doing nothing but renovation. It would have taken a long time to get it feeling like home.

Anyway, my mom had sent me a link to a house on Sellwood avenue in Capreol. It looked like a great house but it looked like an old listing. I was afraid it wasn't for sale anymore. I passed the email along to our agent and hoped for the best. The next morning out agent called us telling us about this house on Sellwood, how nice it was, the price, and that it was just listed. Turns out it was the same house lol. Susan hadn't gotten the email from me, she just happened to find out about this newlisting. We said we'd love to see it so she set up a viewing for us that day. We were supposed to go see the other house for the second time anyways. We decided to go and see the new house first. Good thing we did. It was gorgeous! I loved it from just about the moment I laid eyes on it. Anyway we looked through the whole house and I loved almost everything I saw. The main floor bathroom needs renovating and one of the downstairs bathrooms but that's basically it. The rest of it is cosmetic. It's definitely move-in condition. Anyway I got outside the house and I looked at my mom and grinned...she knew I loved it lol. I looked at Matt and snuggled up to him and said, "I want this house"....we went and took a second look at the other house but it just didn't compare. It was bigger but that was about all it had going for it. It wasn't laid out well and it needed a lot of updating and renovation. We decided to make an offer on the house on Sellwood.

We drove back to the city and met with our agent and filled out all the paperwork. We offered $115,000 and took out all the conditions. And then we waited. And waited. And waiter. Finally at about 10:30pm the phone rang and it was Susan telling us that our offer was accepted on one condition. The family wanted a closing date of June 22. That wasn't a problem with us at all, so we met at the office again this morning and signed all the papers. The house is ours. We're so excited!!! I've attached a link if you'd like to go and see it. I can't wait to move in! I hasn't totally hit me yet. I imagine it won't really 100% hit me until we've actually signed more papers and moved in lol. Tht gives me about 4 months to wait lol. Let's hope it goes by fast!

http://evalanctotrealty.com/Listing.cfm?ListingID=832

Sara
-Who can't believe she has a house!

Matt's Celebrity Look Alikes

2007-03-07T11:49:00.001-05:00

My Celebrity Look Alikes

2007-03-07T11:40:00.000-05:00

Hum dum dum diddy dum....

2007-02-23T11:34:00.000-05:00

Alright, let's call it frustration. Let's call it wanting to pull my hair out. Let's call it "Sara's going to be grey by the time she turns 26". PEOPLE KEEP BUYING ALL THE HOUSES!!! Even the crappy one that I wrote in my post below...sold the same day. It was on the market a grand total of 8 hours when it sold. There was a nice house that Matt and I were supposed to view today....already has two offers on it. I don't know what to do. We can't seem to move fast enough to even SEE any of these houses. Nevermind make an offer! Talk about frustrating.

Anyway, today is an exciting day because I get to go try on my dress. It came in!! I get to get fitted, pick out accessories and all that fun stuff. :o). I'm very excited!

Other than that not much new to report. I've been in the kitchen all morning making homemade beans, and cookies n cream brownies. My parents are coming for the weekend, and Colin and Crystal are here for the weekend as well. Which reminds me, I should go finish Keenan's scrapbook. Guess I should get on that lol.
Sara
- Who's pretty sure they're not going to get a house for a long-ass time.

ACK! I must get better at this!!!

2007-02-21T21:46:00.000-05:00

Okay...attempt number...gazillion??? at trying to keep my blog somewhat up to date lol.

Matt and I are buying a house!!! We're both very excited at the prospect of buying a house. We got our preapproval so now it's just a matter of looking at houses and being lucky enough to snag one. Not as easy as it might sound. This city is terrible for real estate. It's getting to the point where there are bidding wars happening on houses. Not enough houses available for the amount of people in the market to purchase said houses. Should be interesting to say the least.

We looked at one house today which looked nice from the outside. We went in the mudroom and even it showed promise. The "laminate" flooring was really a vinyl flooring with laminate pattern, but hey, that can be fixed. We went into the huge kitchen. Lots of counter space and cupboards, room for our fridge and stove. The floors were vinyl flooring again, but once again that can be replaced. The living room was attached to the kitchen. The living room, which in comparison to the one we currently have, was quite large. This was real laminate flooring but I have to admit, very cheap and not well taken care of. This could also be fixed. The paint was a colour I liked so that wouldn't have been an issue right off the bat. Big windows, front door out onto a little porch, so far it was showing promise. Bedroom number one...small. Barely room for a double bed with bedside tables, and a dresser. But it would just be a spare room, not a huge deal. Bathroom....a normal size bathroom, nothing spectacular, but larger than what we currently have. This was a plus. The minus? Lavender toilet and tub...YUCK!! Second bedroom...about the same size as the first one, same deal. Except there was an access panel to the pipes for the bathtub. Oh and a few holes in the drywall. One whole wall in this room would have needed to be replaced with new drywall. Not unachievable, but the repair list seems to be growing. We moved on to the master bedroom. There was a small linen closet right before the master bedroom. This was a plus because we currently use our storage closet as our linen closet. Anyway, the master bedroom wasn't huge, but it was big enough for the furniture Matt and I have right now. But not much else. One small window, again, not a big issue because you just sleep in the room anyways. It let in the same light we get right now. This room seemed in pretty decent shape. But, the worst was yet to come. Our real estate agent had been preparing us for the basement, and I have to admit I wasn't quite ready for what I saw.

We descended into the basement. Can you believe that I had to duck to get down the stairs. Once I was down in the basement I could stand up but just barely. You could imagine what poor 6 foot tall Matt looked like while we were down there. Head bent, not able to stretch up....not a good sign. The laundry room was a laundry room. It had hook ups, shelves and access to all the necessary utilities. The "4th bedroom" across the hall was really just a glorified closet. Choppy ceilings, Matt REALLY couldn't stretch in this room. Barely good enough for a kids playroom. But this wasn't the end of it. Oh no...there's more. There was a very plain and almost undetectable doorway at the end of the staircase. And in all honesty I missed it when we went by the first time. The agent opened the door and there it was.....a huge rock in the basement. A perfectly good basement gone to waste on a giant freakin' rock. You could see where water had run down, not huge amounts but enough to cause concern. The furnace was kept under here, as was the hot water heater. There was absolutely nothing that could be done with this space to make it useable. We were all hunched over talking, trying not to hit our heads on the floor joists when I just started laughing and said "I feel like I'm standing in a hobbit house!" I personally don't want to have my own personal hobbit house, no matter how fun it may be for kiddies. A definite no on this one. Bring on the next one!!!!

Sara
-Who thinks they're going to go through many-a-houses before they find "the one"

Well my goodness....

2007-01-28T12:48:00.000-05:00

I am pleased to announce that I'm feeling better today. I talked to my aunt and found out that the flu I have/had likes to play little games. Even though you're not throwing up, it doesn't want you to eat solid foods right away. Apparently eating toast and fruit yesterday was a bad plan. After a miserable evening being in the worst pain EVER from a stomach flu, I took some gravol and eventually fell asleep. I woke up this morning, no food in my stomach, and I felt great. I've put myself back on a liquid diet, with light solids and so far so good. No pain, I'm managing to eat...although not as much as I'd like to.

I was upset yesterday because Melanie and Nancy called me wanting to know if I wanted to go out for coffee. I'm so desperate to get out of this apartment. I feel stranded. Matt's worked everyday since I got home. It's been just me and the bunny. I'm going stir crazy. Of course then I had to go and get the flu, which only made my situation worse lol. And I thought I was going to have company today because I didn't think Matt was working today. Well, turns out he was working about 12 hour shift today. I should have gone home to Elliot this weekend. At least I would have had company. I didn't go because I thought I'd get to see Matt a bit, but alas, that didn't happen. So, needless to say I'm bored stiff, lonely, and kind of cranky lol. Here I sit, playing online poker, watching movies, and sipping juice. LOL And I go to watch my new Pirates of the Caribbean movie, and Matt took it to work with him and hasn't brought it back yet. Sooo not happy. I was going to have a Pirates Marathon today, and that got foiled. I'm a little irritated at him right now lol. Nothing major, just my crankiness finding a release. *sighs* I WANT TO GO OUT!!!!!

*huffs, puffs, sighs, and collapses and throws a fit* Funny how I have 6 weeks off, I was looking forward to having a relaxing few weeks off work, and it's turned out to be nothing but sickness, boredom, and loneliness. ARGH....I better end this before I go insane lol. I'm going to go lose more points at poker.

Sara

It's Been a While....

2007-01-27T10:48:00.000-05:00

Wow, so apparently I'm no good at updating my blog.

Christmas was good. A little stressful, but it was nice to have family around and to get to see everyone. It was Keenan's first Christmas, and of course he got spoiled. I got spoiled too because I got to spend so much time with him. It was nice to be able to see him.

Ringing in the new year was fun. Matt and I went to our friend's house for a new years party. It was a blast hehe. I got to see some friends I hadn't seen in over a year. It was definitely good times.

After the new year things got a little stressful. Keenan's liver started to go into failure making surgery necessary as soon as possible. I went back down to Toronto just to do some new blood work and x-rays, and then the surgery got booked. The surgery happened on January 9th. Honestly, I wasn't very nervous. It felt like everyone kept watching me, waiting for me to breakdown and have an anxiety attack or something, but in all honesty I was hardly nervous at all. It just felt like the right thing to do.

Having never had major surgery before I didn't know what to expect. I just cleared my head and took everything as it came. My biggest concern was that there could still be a chance I couldn't be the donor. If they opened me up and found something wrong with my liver, something that was undetectable from all the tests, then it would have all been for nothing. But, fortunately everything was fine. My surgery was about 5 hours I think. I don't know for sure. All I remember is a group of people talking to me, the anesthetist trying to get the IV in my hand (which really hurt I might add), the surgeon coming up and saying hello, and then the nurse putting the oxygen mask on my face. These were my last moments before sleep took over....

The nurse puts the oxygen mask on my face

'Take a few deep breaths for me'

I take a deep breath

'It's supposed to smell like grape. I'm not sure if it does.'

I take another deep breath 'It kind of does.'

I start fading in and out, I hear the nurse say 'She's going...'

And the next thing I know I'm waking up to the delightful feeling of being extibated, and wretching from the feeling of it. Yes, I was one of those fortunate 2% of people who have memories of being extibated LOL. Hey, if I'm going to be lucky at something lol.

Either way I don't regret a minute of it. It hasn't been an easy road to recovery, but I suppose it could have been worse. They had me up walking the day after surgery. It wasn't easy, and I hated the physio guy for it at the time, but 4 days later I was released from the hospital. All of the doctors were amazed at how quickly I recovered. Problem is, it seems to have slowed down a bit. It didn't help that I caught a stomach bug two days ago and was puking up my socks for half a day (complete with explosive bum of course), and ended up in the hospital again. They shot me up with morphine and gravol and sent me home. It just has to run its course. Problem is, I'm still not feeling 100% and it's been 2 days. Usually I bounce back from a stomach flu like it's nothing....but apparently my recovery time is delayed. I'm still getting bouts of nausea, nothing that makes me want to throw up, but enough to make me really uncomfortable and miserable.

I JUST WANT TO FEEL NORMAL AGAIN!!!!!

It's hard to work on recovering from surgery when you're busy worrying about whether or not you're going to vomit in the next few minutes. Leave it to me though. I'm home from Toronto only a few days and I catch a stomach flu lol. AAAAAAARRRGGHHHH!!!! One day at a time I guess, eh? Either way I'm not thrilled...I feel useless. I can't even get up enough energy to make supper. Matt says he doesn't mind, but he's not home most of the time. He's been working a lot since I got home. Leaving it up to me to do everything around the apartment. I haven't been doing much, because I'm not supposed to, but I feel guilty laying around all day. Like I said...I just want to feel better. In a lot of ways I feel like I'm relearning my digestive system. Things don't work like they used to lol. And now because of this flu, my stomach is a lot touchier than it used to be. Fun times. Fun times.

But, the great news is (and my whole reason for doing this) is that Keenan is doing fantastic! He looks so great! He's made it through the first two milestones. He made it through the initial rejection, and he made it through the first 48 hours. Now the next milestone is the first 3 months. He's out of Sick Kids now, and he's living with mommy and daddy at the Ronald McDonald House in Toronto. They'll be down in Toronto for a few months and then he gets to come home. YAY!! Here are a few pictures from after the surgery. These pictures were taken at the 2 week point.

Sara

-Who's really not feeling fantastic, but feels great about what she did.

Before the guests arrive....

2006-12-24T16:50:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

Sara

Quote of the Day....

2006-12-10T17:29:00.000-05:00

A three year old child is a being who gets almost as much fun out of a fifty-six dollar set of swings as it does out of finding a small green worm. ~Bill Vaughan

2006-11-06T06:38:00.000-05:00

So yesterday was such a looooong day. I woke up at 7:30, had a shower, ate breakfast, watched Dirty Jobs, and sat there. Bored out of my tree. Nothing good on tv, and 10 hours until Matt got home from work. I farted around outside for a few minutes, decided it was too wet for yard work and came back in. A sudden feeling hit me to finally paint the Tiki Bar on the wall, to match the palm tree on the other wall. I jumped online, found some pictures and went to work.

Well, 8 hours later I had a mural finished. I painted the last part 10 minutes before Matt walked in the door lol. I have to say, I wasn't expecting to get that motivated about it. It just seemed like I drew everything perfectly the first time. That NEVER happens. I usually have to redraw things a few times before I can start painting. But this time, everything went on the wall exaclty how it was supposed to. There are a couple of exceptions, like one of the dancer's legs, her hand, and the bar stools.....but outside of that, I absolutely love it! I don't want to move now lol. I don't want to leave this behind lol.

Here are the pictures from start to finish :o)

278 Days To Go....

2006-10-30T18:23:00.000-05:00

And one major step is finished! My mom and I went dress shopping this past weekend, and I found my dream dress. We started looking Friday morning at about 11:00ish, and by about 1:00pm I had found it. Or at least, I was pretty sure I'd found it. I still wanted to try more dresses on, of course, but I couldn't stop thinking about this one specific dress.

We started off at a store called Christie's. Apparently it was supposed to be the hoitey-toitey dress shop with a great selection, etc. Well, quite frankly, I've seen a better wedding dress selection at a large value village. Honestly, the dress selection was not impressive at all, and they looked dingy, and I only found 3 I wanted to try on. The lady at the store wasn't helpful at all, she didn't really take much interest in what I was looking for, and hardly talked to my mom and I. So, I found 3 dresses I wanted to try on, and only one of which I was considering. So, we were there about half an hour when we left and hit the next store up the street.

Now, Lindgren's was a dream. My mom and I walked in, I mentioned I happened to be in the market for a wedding dress and they swept me in the door. They got me to fill out an appointment page and we went directly into the back room. They started asking me what I was looking for, or at least what I thought I was looking for. They took that into consideration, looked at my figure, and started pulling out dresses. The owner, Lisa, took one look at me, listened to what I had to say, and asked me if I was willing to try on things that weren't my "ideal" dress. I told her I was open to anything and was willing to give anything a try. So, she picked out a dress and sent me to the change room. Well, the other girl (Christiane I think was her name) strapped me into the dress (it was one size too small, and a corset dress lol) and I paraded out onto the dias and looked in the mirror. My jaw dropped...my mom's jaw dropped....and I just started smiling. I didn't want to take the dress off. I couldn't believe it was strapless, I couldn't believe it was white (I wanted ivory), and I couldn't believe it had a train lol. I was pretty sure that was the dress I wanted, but I tried on others...what the heck, right? So, I had to have tried on about 7 or 8 dresses there. They were all beautiful, but there was always something about them I didn't like. Some of them I felt like I was drowning in fabric, some of them were too beaded, and some of them just didn't suit me at all. I tried on the first dress again, and felt completely at home. They wrote down the dress for me, because they knew I had another store to hit. (Although I'm sure they knew I'd be back lol).

Saturday morning came and my mom, my dad and I headed out to the last bridal shop. We got there early, afraid it was going to be busy. I was the only one there! The girls there were fantastic. I picked out a few dresses to try, and then my mom and the owners started picking out more. I tried on dress after dress, and I found quite a few that I liked, but none of them as much as the one at Lindgren's. Then, one dress came along that was made of a chiffon type material that was layered assymetrical, more of an antique white, and it was very flattering. It was moved to the top of my list, but I had to go back to Lindgren's and try on the other dress in order to make a final decision. I had my dad with me this time to help with his opinion. So, we drove back to Lindgren's, and they strapped me into the dress again. I walked out of the changeroom and I was glowing. I just felt like a princess in that dress, I felt like a bride. I couldn't stop smiling, and even my dad said he liked that dress the best. So, the decision was made.

My dress, if a white strapless corset style dress. It has a chapel length train. I would give more details but I know matt reads my blog from time to time lol. It would be just my luck he would decide to read it. And I certainly can't post pictures! If you'd like to see what the dress looks like, and what I will (mostly) look like in the dress, just let me know and I can forward you a picture. Bear in mind the dress is one size too small, and they had me strapped in pretty tight lol. Some things are poking out that shouldn't be...(no not THOSE things lol).....but they won't be with my actual dress.

Anyway, that's one major step out of the way. LOL I went home and told Matt he couldn't back out now, the deposit on the dress is non-refundable and I'm not paying just under $1000 for a dress that won't get worn lol. He laughed and assured me he wasn't going anywhere lol. The next step: his suit. :o)

Sara
-Who can't WAIT for her dress to come in.....6 months to go lol.

Long Needed Update...

2006-10-26T18:51:00.000-04:00

Well holy man, am I ever bad at this blogging thing lately! Sorry for the lack of updates.

I guess the biggest news is that the surgery didn't happen! The little monkey is doing a fantastic job all on his own, and he doesn't need his auntie's help right now lol. The doctors did all the pre-admission stuff and discovered that Keenan is too healthy to do the transplant right now. This is very good news! The doctors won't say if or when he'll need it, but for now we're just living life as normal. Honestly, I wasn't entirely sure how to react when I first heard that he didn't need the surgery. I spent two weeks flipping my life upside down to get tested, taking time off work, and mentally preparing myself for the surgery as well as the recovery period. That in and of itself was an emotional process (shed the tears in Fran's Restaurant to prove it!). Then, to be told that the surgery wasn't going to happen...I honestly didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to react. I was obviously very excited for Keenan because the longer he can hold off the surgery because he's healthy, the better. I was excited for myself because I wasn't going to have to go through the surgery or the recovery....but at the same time I was disappointed. I was upset because I wanted to be able to help him. I felt really good knowing I was doing something to help him...and all of a sudden it was gone. SO it took a walk with Matt, some talking and hugs but I finally wrapped my head around it. Of course I had tons of questions like how do I live my life now? Do I still refrain from drinking, do I still refrain from tylenol and etc...what on earth do I do? So I talked to Colin and Crystal about it and they've told me to live my life like I normally would and when the time comes that Keenan needs the transplant they'll give me warning. And if it happens that I'm not able to do it, well then they'll find somebody else. They don't want me putting my life on hold. So, I can accept that.

What else is new? Oh yeah...DRESS SHOPPING!!!! My parents are coming to Sudbury tomorrow and we're starting dress shopping! I can't wait to get into the bridal shops and start drooling over dresses lol. I'm also excited because I keep losing weight, so I'll be feeling pretty damn sexy while I try them on. (I hope!). I've been warned that wedding dress sizes tend to be made small, so not to be surprised if I have to get a dress that's 2 or more sizes bigger than I normally wear. Not sure how I'll react to that yet lol.

Well, that's pretty much all the major news for now. Matt and I scored tickets to go see The Tragically Hip on January 27th. We're very excited!!! They weren't cheap, but they're floor tickets, and we haven't been to a concert in over a year! We're definitely looking forward to it!

I'm freezing my little buns off, so I'm going to find my slippers and a blanket and I'm going to await Matt's arrival.

Sara

It's Actually Going To Happen....

2006-10-09T21:43:00.000-04:00

For those who don't know, the last few weeks have been filled with trips to Toronto for me. I've been busy getting tested to see if I can be a liver donor for my nephew Keenan. Well, it has been a very fast turn around with results, and a whirlwind adventure in Toronto General Hospital, but the results are in. I have been chosen as a donor for Keenan. The tentative date is October 17, but that could change. I go down to Toronto for another test tomorrow, and then for all my pre-admission stuff on Thursday. After that it's just a matter of time before the surgery.

I don't want to post too much about it, just because it's a personal matter, and I don't want to share too much information, but I can post more about the surgery later on.

Sara
- Who really doesn't like Toronto, but it's a small price to pay.

5 Rainbow Day

2006-09-25T19:10:00.000-04:00

What crazy weather we're having!! It can't decide if it wants to rain or shine lol. I got caught in the rain twice today...and let me tell you it was a cooooooold rain today. It was all made better by being able to see 5 rainbows. My favourite one was on my walk tonight. I was walking up the monster hill on my walking route. I was holding my hood so the wind wouldn't blow it off my head when the sun breaks out from a cloud and shines right on me. I turn around and there is the most stunning rainbow I've ever seen! The sun glistening off the leaves on the trees: all the reds, oranges, yellows, and greens...it was beautiful. The water glistening on the road, and the raindrops shining as they fall by the millions from the sky. The clouds behind the rainbow were jet black, but they looked so beautiful because they were emphasizing the colours of the rainbow. While I was standing there admiring the wonders of nature a second rainbow appeared just above the bright one. And what comes on my MP3 player while I'm standing there?

Rainy Day People - Gordon Lightfoot

Rainy day people always seem to know when it's time to call

Rainy day people don't talk, they just listen till they've heard it all

Rainy day lovers don't lie when they tell ya they've been down like you

Rainy day people don't mind if you're cryin' a tear or two

If you get lonely, all you really need is that rainy day love

Rainy day people all know there's no sorrow they can't rise above

Rainy day lovers don't love any others, that would not be kind

Rainy day people all know how it hangs on a piece of mind

Rainy day lovers don't lie when they tell you, they've been down there too

Rainy day people don't mind if you're cryin' a tear or two.

Rainy day people always seem to know when you're feeling blue

High stepping strutters who land in the gutters sometimes need one too

Take it or leave it, or try to believe it

If you've been down too long

Rainy day lovers don't hide love inside they just pass it on

+++++++++

Sara

-Who loves when nature gives her gifts like that. It made all the stress of her day go away.

Nova Scotia Bound....

2006-09-19T18:58:00.000-04:00

The first step in the honeymoon has been implemented! I emailed a fantastic looking Bed and Breakfast on the Cabot Trail. It's right on the ocean, you can see Puffin Islands from the Manor, it's within driving range of almost everything on Cape Breton Island, and did I mention it's beautiful?? I received an email back from Lonnie, the owner/operator, and she asked if she could call me. What a delightful lady! She was so much fun to talk to and answered all the questions I had. Well, wouldn't you know it, Matt and I are tentatively booked for arrival on August 7, 2007 for 3 nights at Sea Parrot Ocean View Manor

www.seaparrotoceanviewmanor.com

The length of stay may change, we may decide to spend our whole honeymoon there, but for now we're booked for 3 nights. The room she has us booked is the Garden Suite. It's $145 a night, which I know isn't cheap....but here's what it includes:

QUEEN BED & PULL-OUT (SLEEPS 4)
PRIVATE WHIRLPOOL BATH/SHOWER
PRIVATE ENTRANCE
DECK
REFRIGERATOR
MICROWAVE
COFFEE MAKER
LIVING AREA
DINING AREA
TV/VCR/DVD
ALL SUITES HAVE ACCESS TO OUTSIDE HOT TUB

Here are some pictures, I hope they work.

Isn't it great?!?!?! Lonnie said that you can lay in bed in the morning and look out over the ocean hehehe....I've never SEEN the ocean!!!!!! I'm only a little excited lol.

Sara
-Who still has 11 months to wait!!!

2006-09-09T19:51:00.000-04:00

Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes
by Paul Simon

a-wa) O kodwa u zo-nge li-sa namhlange
(a-wa a-wa) Si-bona kwenze ka kanjani
(a-wa a-wa) Amanto mbazane ayeza
She's a rich girl
She don't try to hide it
Diamonds on the soles of her shoes

He's a poor boy
Empty as a pocket
Empty as a pocket with nothing to lose
Sing Ta na naTa na na na
She got diamonds on the soles of her shoes
Sing ta na naTa na na na
She got diamonds on the soles of her shoes
Diamonds on the soles of her shoes
Diamonds on the soles of her shoes
Diamonds on the soles of her shoes
Diamonds on the soles of her shoes

People say she's crazy
She got diamonds on the soles of her shoes
Well that's one way to lose these walking blues
Diamonds on the soles of her shoes
She was physically forgotten
but then she slipped into my pocket
With my car keys
She said you've taken me for granted
Because I please you
Wearing these diamonds

And I could say Oo oo oo
As if everybody knows
What I'm talking about
As if everybody here would know
Exactly what I was talking about
Talking about diamonds on the soles of her shoes
She makes the sign of a teaspoon
He makes the sign of a wave
The poor boy changes clothes
And puts on after-shave
To compensate for his ordinary shoes

And she said honey take me dancing
But they ended up by sleeping
In a doorway
By the bodegas and the lights onUpper Broadway
Wearing diamonds on the soles of their shoes
And I could say Oo oo oo
As if everybody here would know
What I was talking about
I mean everybody here would know exactly
What I was talking about
Talking about diamonds

People say I'm crazy
I got diamonds on the soles of my shoes yeah
Well that's one way to lose These walking blues
Diamonds on the soles of my shoes

ta na na na
ta na na na na
ta na na na
ta na na na na

Shakin' her booty all over da place....

2006-09-09T19:35:00.000-04:00

Top 10 Songs of the Moment (in no particular order)

1. Breaking Benjamin - Dance With The Devil
2. Sarah Vaughan - Fever
3. Beyonce ft. Sean Paul - Baby Boy
4. Ben Harper - She's Only Happy in the Sun
5. Paul Simon - Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes
6. India Arie - Video
7. Sarah Slean - Sweet Ones
8. John Mayer - My Stupid Mouth
9. Stabilo - Flawed Design
10. Van Morrison - Crazy Love

Sara
- Who just heard the new Breaking Benjamin Cd, and it's great!

Ever Have Those Weeks....

2006-09-08T06:52:00.000-04:00

Where you know it's going to be a short week but it still feels like a regular week all the same? That was my week this week. I started back on my split shift this week, and I was all excited about it because I find that shift very relaxing and a lot less stressful than doing a full 9:30 - 5:30 with my school age kids. Well, let me tell you, I am so freakin' exhausted this week I'm lucky if I can stay awake until 9:30 at night! lol All summer I was spoiled and got to sleep in until 8:00 most mornings, but now I'm back to waking up at 6:00, and on the mornings I have to take the bus I have to get up at 5:00. I know...whine whine whine, woe is me, but seriously, that's a big adjustment to make! lol....I'm so thankful it's finally Friday so I can get properly rested for next week.

What else happened this week? Oh yeah, I went and got my bloodwork done for the living donor liver transplant stuff. Now I just have to wait for the Toronto Hospital to contact me with what I have to do next. You should see the bruise on my arm though! Holy cow!! I know it's hard to find my veins, they like to hide, but holy. I've never had someone bruise me that much. She had to use a surface vein, which happens to me a lot, but for some reason it really bruised this time. Matt cringes when he looks at it lol. I keep telling him it looks a lot worse than it is!

My mom's cousin Blair died suddenly over the weekend. He was actually a cousin by marriage, but family just the same. He was a nice guy, he had 2 boys, and his wife of course. I'm not sure if they found out why he died, but it was definitely very sudden. You'll be missed Blair, take care on the other side.

Well, it's time for me to head off to work again. It was payday yesterday so I think Matt and I have plans to do groceries on my break this afternoon, and any other running around. Enjoy your Friday!

Sara
-Who plans on sleeping a lot this weekend....and cleaning, and gardening.....and oh, sleeping.

Quote of the Day....

2006-09-03T21:06:00.000-04:00

When you are a bear of very little brain, and you think of things, you sometimes find that a thing which seemed very thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it! ~Winnie-the-Pooh

2006-09-01T19:22:00.000-04:00

Oh my god I'm tired.....

ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Wow....that was unexpected....

2006-09-01T07:58:00.000-04:00

The last month I've been helping my friends Jim and Nancy out around their house. Melanie and I helped fix their shower, we primed Max's room to get it ready for painting, we cleaned their house from top to bottom, and last night, because Nancy was having her baby, I picked up Max at daycare and babysat him until grandma could get home from the hospital. I got to the house and Jim was there for dinner. He handed me a card. I opened it and it was a thank you card from Jim and Nancy, with a $50 gift certificate for a spa! I was shocked to say the least! I definitely wasn't expecting anything...but it was definitely a very nice surprise. Now the tough decision comes....how to spend it!? Should I do the french manicure, the pedicure, a massage? Hydrotherapy??....so many choices......what to do?! I've never had a pedicure before, and my poor tootsies would probably love it.....but I've also always wanted a French Manicure lol. I think it will come down to the toss of a coin. Any advice?!

Sara
-Who's never been to a spa before!

Welcome to the World....

2006-08-31T20:56:00.000-04:00

My very good friends Nancy and Jim just had their second baby today. The latest addition to their family is a little girl named Morgan. She is 8 lbs 3 oz, and measured 23 inches in length. I haven't seen Jim beam with so much pride since Max was born. He was as giddy as a school boy! I'm so excited for both of them! Mom is doing well, and so is baby. Both should be home soon. :o). Hopefully I'll have pictures to show in the next few days.

Sara
-Who can't wait to have her own, but will settle for other people's for now.

Komo Mai I Palekaiko

2006-08-29T07:43:00.000-04:00

I have been dying to paint a mural on the bare white walls in our hallway for months now. If there's one thing that drives me crazy its white walls. It's so drab, and just screams for a punch of colour lol. Well, my insanity drove me to ask my super if I was allowed to paint a mural on the walls. He said that he didn't care, but that he'd check with the owner just to be sure. I patiently waited a few days, and one day when Matt picked me up he told me that Norm said I was allowed to paint, as long as we paint over it before we move. SCORE!! So what were my big plans for this oh-so-bare white wall? Well a Hawaiian beach of course!

I started my journey back into the world of Murals on Saturday morning. I painted for a few hours in the morning, completing the sky. Or so I thought. I wasn't thrilled with it, I could see too many brush strokes, and it just didn't scream "sky" to me. I decided to take a risk and sponge paint the sky. Well, it worked! I mixed blues and whites and made it look like a sky...or at least more like a sky than it did before lol.

I find the same problem happened with the ocean. I knew how I wanted it done because I had done a small painting of the exact picture I was doing in a large scale on the wall. I would use that painting for reference, but my scale is a little off. I got the right idea, it's just not quite what I wanted it to be. But, as is the typical problem with me, what I see in my head isn't always what comes out on the paper or canvas, or in this case, wall. Either way, I had fun. Saturday night I finished the sky and moved on to plotting how I would paint the ocean.

Sunday morning was the morning of my early birthday party. I had some time to waste before family started showing up so I grabbed my paints and got to work. Today's task was the ocean. I used a gradient technique with the colour, making the water darker near the horizon and lighter near the shore. It didn't turn out too bad. I was having trouble with the waves, and fixed it the best I could. They turned out pretty good considering the trouble I had getting it "right".....

Next was the beach. That was the easy part. I knew exactly what to do with that. Same as the tree. That was easy peasey....the part I was looking forward to the most was the palm tree and the leaves. I love doing the leaves. It's tedious, and yet strangely satisfying. The last finishing touch was the wooden sign stuck in the sand that said "Komo Mai I Palekaiko", which means "Welcome to Paradise" in Hawaiian. I had Matt do some research for me to figure out what Welcome to Paradise was in Hawaiian....he got me the closest he could find. He said the exact translation would be "You are welcome to Paradise"....but it was close enough lol.

Aaaand I'm having trouble with the Blogger pictures.....so I can't post the pics! Sheesh!!! This has been happening to me a lot lately....so if you'd like to see a picture, you can leave a comment, or email me and I'll send it to you. What a scam lol.

Sara
-Who really dislikes blogger sometimes.

OH THE PAIN!!!.....but what a delightful pain....

2006-08-23T21:02:00.000-04:00

My title is somewhat misleading....

I went to an osteopath today, my first time ever. Matt and I went into her office, discussed my soreness, what's been bugging me, etc....and it came time for the assesment. I honestly, couldn't believe it. I knew things weren't right, and I was having a lot of pain, but I didn't think it was that bad. I was in such a mess. My pelvic bone was misaligned, my L2 and L5 vertibraes were misaligned, my knees were twisted, my shoulders were messed up, even my wrists were misaligned. My jaw was crooked and the joint on the right side of my jaw was jammed up into the socket because the muscles were so screwed up, there were problems with my cranium and neck.....I was just a mess. I was in there for an hour total...I got tugged, twisted, and popped....I got poked, squeezed and massaged.....and in the end I felt so relaxed, so unbelievably loose. There were some points when she was "fixing" me, I could feel things pop into place.

The biggest problem, and the main reason I was there, was for my jaw. That was the most painful part of the whole session. She said it was so bad, she warned me it was probably going to hurt like hell. Guess what??? IT DID!!!....but when she was done...holy crap, it was unreal! When I yawn, I can yawn straight, I no longer have to worry about only "half yawning" because of the pain.....I can have a flip-top head and not have any pain. My teeth touch where they're supposed to, and I can finally eat again on that side of my mouth. She was explaining how everything that was wrong was almost all linked to my jaw problem. The muscles would get so tense from my daily activities that it would spread into my neck, down my back, and I would compensate for the pain. She decribed symptoms to me, asking me if I had ever had ringing in my ears, really bad headaches, sharp pains, and dizziness....and it was all related to the muscles in my jaw!!! It just blew me away.

She fixed my knees...and my knees haven't been that straight in years. When I extend my legs now they look straight, they don't look crooked anymore. She put my shoulders back into place, and popped my pelvice back where it's supposed to be. The great thing about all the work she did? She didn't touch one bone. She didn't have to put pressure on my spine, nothing. She did all by manipulating my muscles, and forcing my body to go back the way it's supposed to.

I also got into trouble from her...*sheepish look*...she asked me if I tended to focus a lot on my left side when eating, or talking to my kids, or if I do things like bite my lips, etc. I am HORRIBLE for biting the left side of my mouth. I'm always biting my lower lip on the left side. She said between biting my lip, sleeping on my left side all the time, and being a stomach sleeper, I really messed up my body. Sooooo....I'm under strict sleeping orders, and she said if I keep biting my lip I'm in big trouble lol.

When I left her office today I was so relaxed, and I felt so free....all my joints felt they had all just been given a fresh start. LOL Freshly oiled so to speak.

I will definitely go back to her whenever I need a realignment.

Sara
-Who can't believe how good she feels.

I have new toys!!

2006-08-22T21:54:00.000-04:00

It never occured to me, until I started checking out other people's blogs, that I could have neat little toys on the sidebar lol. So, many great thanks to Bea and Osquer for two great ideas, and thanks to my mom for the Tarot a Day dealy. I hope to find some more cool stuff to put on the side. :o)....I'm thinking a picture of the day, or something of the sort. I'll have to take a look and see what's out there! Either way, enjoy the tarot! I've been playing with it all night lol.

Sara
-Who's going to go watch Rockstar now...

In Honour of Bea's Rant....

2006-08-22T20:57:00.000-04:00

Smell My Feet (The Time Song)
Tim Pacific's Musical Recall

********
Big Bad Billy was the smartest kid in class
But he had smelly feet.
When the teacher was teachin’ how to tell time
Billy stood up in his seat

He said, "I’m tired of you kids makin’ sport of my smell
So listen up everybody I got something to tell
You can all smell my feet!

There’s 60 seconds in a minute
60 minutes in one hour
24 hours in a day
7 days in one week
30 days in one calendar month
12 months in a year

It's time to smell my feet

There’s 365 days in a year
10 years in a decade
20 years in a score
100 years in a century
1000 years in a millennium

Step up, and get you a whiff of 'em!
It's time to smell my feet
It's time to smell my feet

http://www.songsforteaching.com/recall/time.htm

Sara
-Who had really smelly feet today...and the poor doctor had to touch them! ACK!!!

Why yes, I do happen to be a princess...

2006-08-21T07:49:00.000-04:00

What Kind of Princess are You? - Beautiful Artwork

The Traditional PrincessYou are generous, graceful, and practical with both feet planted firmly on the ground. You tend to be a little on the old-fashioned side. You value home, hearth, and family life and love to be of service to others.

Role Models: Snow White, Maid Marian.

You are most likely to: Discover a hidden talent for spinning straw into gold.

What Kind of Princess Are You?

What Mythological Creature Are You?

2006-08-20T19:03:00.000-04:00

You scored as Mermaid. Mermaid: Mermaids are also known as Sirens. These creatures were beautiful women who tricked sailors into becoming completely entranced by their haunting voices and found death soon after. Not all stories of Mermaids are about gentle loving sea people. They are mystical, magical, and extremely dangerous. They have a way about them that brings anyone they are around to seem enchanted. They are very mysterious creatures and to meet one... Would mean certain Death. Let the song of the Sea fill your soul, for you are a Mermaid.

What Mythological Creature are you? (Cool Pics!)
created with QuizFarm.com

Well, I've Gone and Done It....

2006-08-19T12:42:00.000-04:00

I've out myself out there and put my work up for slaughter. I finally bit the bullet and submitted my Amelia stories to a publisher. Kids Can Press is accepting submissions for children's stories, and picture books. I've been getting my mom to edit my two favourite Amelia stories for me, and I finally got around to finishing the edits on the second one day. I did some research and found a publisher that is accepting manuscripts. I was terrified to sit down and write a query letter though. I had no idea how to write one! I had no idea what I needed to have in it, and no idea how long it should be. So, I found a template online, and just went with it. I sent it to my mom to go over. Hopefully she'll have some good advice for me.

I can't believe I'm finally doing this. I've dreamed of being a children's author for years now, but never thought I could do it. I created my Amelia character on a whim one day, and wrote a story. I got rave feedback from friends and family, so I thought I could keep going with it. I've written 5 Amelia stories so far, with a few ideas sitting on the back burner. Matt, my mom and a few of my friends have been urging me to submit them to a publisher, but I've been too scared. It's that age-old fear of rejection. But like my mom says, if I don't submit I'll constantly be wondering, "What if"...and of course, what if someone has the same idea as me and beats me to it!? So, it's taken me 2 years, but I'm doing it lol. Here's hoping I get a nice reply!

Sara
- Who doesn't think she can wait 3 months to hear back about her stories....

Well....That's interesting....

2006-08-17T08:13:00.000-04:00

Okay...so matt and I were finally able to go and buy some fish for our tropical tank. We bought 3 neon tetras, 2 dalmatian mollies, and a black mystery snail. Sadly one of the neons died, but the rest are alive and kicking. And boy are they alive. We woke up this morning to a plethora of baby dalmatian mollies....I'm not kidding. Unfortunately most of them were dead, but 16 managed to survive. So now we have to go out and buy a nursing tank/live well for the babies so they can actually survive. After that we're not sure what we'll do with all those damn fish lol. I remember what my aunt went through with her guppies. I might have to giver her a call and find out what she does with all the babies lol.

Sara
-Who can't believe they're the grandparents of 16 new mollies.

Dinner Out...

2006-08-11T21:36:00.000-04:00

Friday's Feast

Feast One Hundred & Six

Appetizer

Tell about a toy you remember from your childhood.

- Honestly, I was a toy-hog. When I played with toys, I played with all of them. I used to love my She Ras, and I loved to play with my stuffed toys. I have very fond memories of playing "teacher" with all of my stuffed toys, and making attendance lists, marking worksheets, etc. lol I was meant to be a teacher from day one hehe. As for sentimental value, my favourite toy from childhood that I still have to this day is a pink and white mouse. It never had a name, but it was well loved just the same.

Soup

If you could make one thing in the world absolutely free for everyone, what would it be?

Definitely healthcare, and housing, I agree with you there Bea. But I'd also make travel free, so you could go a visit loved ones whenever you wanted. (And while we're dreaming, scotch should be free too!)

Salad

Approximately how many times per day do you think about your significant other?

- It all depends what I'm doing. I'm always talking about him, so really, I guess I think about him all the time lol. I'd say somewhere around all the time hehe. I'm always fighting the urge to call him while I'm at work and while he's at work lol.

Main Course

What is something you believe in 100%?

The energies of the world around us. All you have to do is send out a thought to the universe and believe that you deserve it....it's amazing what can happen.

Dessert

Name one thing you have done this week that you would consider a "good deed."

I hate to sound like a little goody goody, but I do something good every day. I work in childcare, and I honestly can't think of too many careers that are more rewarding. I get to do "good deeds" all day.

Sara

-Who can't wait to get rid of all her yard sale stuff.

Song of the Moment

2006-08-04T08:52:00.000-04:00

Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd

***

Mama told me when I was young
Come sit beside me, my only son
And listen closely to what I say.
And if you do this
It will help you some sunny day.
Take your time... dont live too fast,
Troubles will come and they will pass.
Go find a woman and youll find love,
And dont forget son,
There is someone up above.

(chorus)
And be a simple kind of man.
Be something you love and understand.
Be a simple kind of man.
Wont you do this for me son,If you can?

Forget your lust for the rich mans gold
All that you need is in your soul,
And you can do this if you try.
All that I want for you my son,
Is to be satisfied.

(chorus)
And be a simple kind of man.
Be something you love and understand.
Be a simple kind of man.
Wont you do this for me son,If you can?

Boy, dont you worry... youll find yourself.
Follow you heart and nothing else.
And you can do this if you try.
All I want for you my son,
Is to be satisfied.

(chorus)
And be a simple kind of man.
Be something you love and understand.
Be a simple kind of man.
Wont you do this for me son,If you can?

Sara

Holy Cow How Time Flies

2006-07-30T14:23:00.000-04:00

Man oh man, it's funny how time just slips away from you. Between being busy at work and having life go bananas around me, I haven't seen the last 2 weeks go by. My parents were here for a week to help Colin and Crystal move. Well actually, Colin and Crystal weren't here, they were down in Toronto with Keenan again, but they were in the middle of packing up for a move when they got called to go back down to Toronto.

On the Keenan front: It's inevitable he will need a transplant, and it will likely be in the next few months. He might be able to come home sometime this week, but he'll be going back down in the near future for his liver transplant. When that happens, Colin and Crystal are moving down to Toronto because Keenan will need to go to the hospital every week for a check-up and follow-ups for the first year. That would run into an awful lot of money for them if they kept having to drive down there once a week. We're all concerned about the transplant, but we've been assured that it has a 95% success rate, so that made us feel a little better. Now it's just a matter of when it's going to happen.

In other news, Matt let me buy the cutest shelf today! For months now I have been looking for one of those shelves that has the square "cubbies" with the pull-out drawers. I originally wanted fabric or canvas drawers, but upon further consideration I decided the fabric really wouldn't wear well and it would be better to have something a little more sturdy. Well, we were in Costco today and BAM there it was....the shelf of my dreams lol. I'd found other shelves that I had really liked, but none of them made me whine and pine and whine some more. This shelf was the right tone of wood, it wasn't pressed particle board shelving, it was REAL birch wood, and it has bold coloured birch drawers! This shelf has been a godsend because it's let us get rid of one of our filing cabinets that was holding all my art supplies and wedding stuff. It also makes a handy-dandy aquarium holder too.

Speaking of aquariums, we had a disaster a few days ago. Matt had made his own awesome aquarium. I was very excited about it. I had it all decorated nicely and we were getting ready to put fish in it when disaster struck. The bottom of the tank cracked and water went everywhere....and I mean everywhere. Matt was ticked, I was disappointed...so we went out to PetSmart and bought a new tank. It's not a huge tank, but we needed something to use all our new fish stuff in! We weren't letting all of our new fish supplies go to waste lol. So now, I'm going to set up this new tank today and then hopefully we can go and get some new fish in a week or so lol.

We're having a yard sale!! FINALLY!! Matt and I have been trying to unload tons of our stuff since we moved in almost 9 months ago, and we just haven't been able to do it. Well, the time has finally come! We were over at ours friends' house last night and Nancy is going through a huge nesting phase. She has baby #2 on the way and she's trying to get rid of junk and get organized for when baby comes at the end of August. She wasn't sure what she was going to do with all their stuff, so I suggested a yard sale. Melanie was visiting from Elliot and suggested the weekend of August 12. She could come and help us, and Nancy wouldn't have to do a thing. Matt and I can bring all our stuff over, and we'll try and get rid of as much as we can. Whatever doesn't sell can get donated. We're all pretty excited. And we're getting rid of some pretty high quality items that we just don't have room for, or don't use anymore.

Well, I think that's all of my news for now. Matt's gone to work so it's just me for the evening. I don't mind so much tonight. I have a movie to watch, and then I'll just watch tv, or maybe go visit Jim and Nancy again for a bit. I could also go on the hunt for more yard sale stuff hehe. God knows half the storage closet is going to get sold lol. Nancy's going to laugh her head off when she sees how much stuff we have to sell lol. Once we have it all together I'll take a picture of it, just to show how much junk we really own lol. I'm not sure I want to do that, but ah well hehe.

Sara
-Who might be embarassed by just how much stuff has accumulated over the last little while.

What Kind of Soul Are You?

2006-07-22T17:21:00.000-04:00

You Are an Old Soul

You are an experienced soul who appreciates tradition.
Mellow and wise, you like to be with others but also to be alone.
Down to earth, you are sensible and patient.
A creature of habit, it takes you a while to warm up to new people.

You hate injustice, and you're very protective of family and friends
A bit demanding, you expect proper behavior from others.
Extremely independent you don't mind living or being alone.
But when you find love, you tend to want marriage right away.

Souls you are most compatible with: Warrior Soul and Visionary Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

2006-07-22T17:11:00.000-04:00

Your Birthdate: August 28

You have a Type A personality so big it makes other Type A's shrink away in shame.
You never shy away from adversity - and you love to tackle impossible problems.
Failure is not an option for you, and more than a few people are put off by your ego.
You tend to be controlling, and you hate leaving anything up to chance.

Your strength: Your bold approach to life

Your weakness: You don't accept help

Your power color: Bronze

Your power symbol: Pyramid

Your power month: October

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Just Call Me Queen of the Amazon

2006-07-12T07:35:00.000-04:00

So Stephanie and I took our kids on a field trip yesterday to the public library. They were having a presentation called Little Ray's Reptiles. They really only showed us a lot of snakes, and one turtle, but it was still pretty interesting. At the end of the show they let the audience touch and hold the snakes. Of course all the kids loved this part! All the kids lined up to have their turn at holding a snake. One snake, a bull snake, was a rather large one. It was so big the kids couldn't hold it, they had to wear it around their necks. I got pictures of most of our kids with a brand new Bull Snake scarf. They had a great time! Of course they wanted to see their educators with a snake on their necks, so Stephanie and I stood side by side and had our picture taken with the snake lol.

Today we're taking them to PetSmart and Boston Pizza. LOL I don't think we'll be holding any snakes today lol. Although we are going to be buying a pet mouse for the class hehe. Actually, it was really nice, one of our parents told me that she thinks that Stephanie and I are doing a great job, that her kids are always so excited to come to daycare in the morning. That made us feel really good! It's nice to know when you're doing something right. :o)

Sara

I'm Itchy....Oh so Itchyyyyyyy.....

2006-07-10T07:49:00.000-04:00

So Matt came home very early Saturday morning......YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY HUNNY'S HOME!!!!!!!......we spent the afternoon at the beach having an absolutely delightful picnic! I hadn't gone on a picnic is YEARS, so it was a lot of fun. We found a nice shady spot right by the water, and enjoyed the sounds of the beach, and a yummy lunch. We spent a couple of hours there, and then moved on to do some shopping.

Saturday night we went over to Jim and Nancy's house for a campfire. I looooooove campfires. It is an absolute must that I make campfire toast with peanut butter on it....preferrably crunchy but really, any peanut butter will do.

The campfire really was a lot of fun. There were 7 of us, a lot of beer, and of course lots of mosquitoes. Nancy was kind enough to provide me with extra-strength bug spray but it didn't really seem to help lol. You see, I've had this problem since I was a kid. BUGS LOVE ME!!! I don't know if I have sweet blood, I just smell good, or I just look like a really desireable piece of meat, but I have been the donor for many-a-brood of baby mosquitoes in my time. Saturday night was no exception. Matt dowsed me with bug spray, and it seemed to work....for about 5 minutes. I toughed it out for about an hour or so, and he dowsed me again. That time it didn't work. The little buggers are adapting, I swear to you. By the time we left I was scratching in some very unpleasant places. I reeked of bug dope and it was all in vain lol. I got home and went to have a shower, when I looked down all I could do was gasp lol. We decided to count my bug bites, and in total, I got 41 mosquitoe bites in the 3 hours I was sitting outside. I am quite literally itchy from head to toe lol. I am not a happy Sara.

Sara
-Who doth detest mosquitoes in all their buzzing and biting glory.

Our pretty new car.....

2006-07-05T08:35:00.000-04:00

Well, the picture uploader is working today, so I thought I'd post some pictures of our new car. :o).......what a dream to drive! I'm calling it our Mob Car, because the back windows are tinted so dark you can't see inside lol.

Sara
-Who's excited to have a new car.....and 3 more sleeps until Matt comes home!!!!

We Have A New Car!

2006-07-04T08:16:00.000-04:00

After an absolutely horrible start to my week last week, the week has ended on a good note. Tuesday afternoon after I fed my brother's cat, I drove over a speedbump and I heard a huge KA-CHUNK....uh oh....that can't be good. So I paid close attention to the noise as I was driving to work. Everytime I hit a bump it would make a horrid grinding and screeching noise. I looked underneath and the right rear shock looked a little off, so I thought maybe I just broke a shock or strut. I worked all afternoon, wondering what on earth it could be. I had made an appointment at Midas for 11:30 the next morning. I was driving home from work and I noticed the alignment was way off. We always used to have perfect alignment, and now I had to give the wheel a quarter turn to get it to go straight. There was definitely something major wrong. It was more than just a strut. I got home from work and talked to Matt, told him that the car got worse and I was going to take it in that night. I called around and the only place that could take me for an inspection was Canadian Tire down at the South End. I had to carefully drive all the way down there, register, and wait. And wait. And wait. About an hour later I was sitting in the waiting room when the head technician came to the door with a very sombre look on his face...
Tech: Would you like the bad news, the bad news, or the bad news?
Me: "Umm, how about that bad news?"
Tech: You need a new car.
Me: *stunned looked" Uh....really?
Tech: Your frame is cracked in two places. We could patch the one section, but the second section is completely deteriorated. I would need 4 inches of metal to weld onto, and I don't even have that to work with.
Me: Oh....*continued stunned look*
Tech: I'm sorry.

How to react? I'm completely stunned, and yet not all that surprised...the car was 12 years old after all. Now I was faced with the daunting tast of telling Matt. I told the tech I would call my fiance while he was getting everything set up for payment. I called Matt and gave him the news. He was beyond stunned....he couldn't believe it. He had so many questions so I just handed him over to the tech and let him answer all of Matt's questions. I called my parents, told them the news, and started to hit panic mode. The technician told me I could drive it home, but once I got home I had to park it and take the plates off. I drove home (and I probably shouldn't have) with my four-ways flashing. Parked it, and walked away. That night I was borderline panicky as I tried to figure out how the hell I was going to get out of this one.

After talking with my parents, with Matt, and with my parents, and with Matt again, I began to calm down. I got to work the next morning, told Kim my tale of woe, and she let me have Friday off so I could go buy a car.

The car shopping experience is a whole other story that I really don't want to get into. Let's just say it was interesting, fun, stressful, and in the end rather enjoyable because I found a car salesman that was the most delightful person I could have asked for as a salesperson! In the end, Matt and I are now the proud new owners of a 2002 Ford Taurus.

and I seem to be having technical difficulties with the photo option, so when it's working I'll post some pictures.

Sara
-Who never wants to do that without Matt here again.

To Be Riddled with Guilt...

2006-06-21T11:59:00.000-04:00

As I sit here digesting my McDonalds, and eyeing the chocolate bar that got given to me free of charge (peanut butter kit kat....am I grossed out by this???), I've realized one thing... MCDONALD'S SUCKS lol....I mean, it's semi-yummy when you're eating it....but five minutes after you eat that last french fry your stomach starts into the McGurgles, and it's just downhill from there lol. The only reason I stopped for lunch today was because I was soooo hungry my stomach was kissing my backbone. I opted for chicken nuggets, because it wasn't a huge burger, and I thought it wouldn't be too much for the tummy. *sighs* But alas, my stomach has other plans lol. Although, I will admit I rather enjoyed the iced tea lol. Fie on you McDonalds, and your fatty, fried, fast food!!

On to other news, I'm going away for the weekend! YAY!!! 2 more sleeps and I get to spend the weekend with my hunny! I'm leaving for Powassan tomorrow after work, and at 9am on Friday morning, Joy and I are heading down south for the weekend. I have a planned stop at Ikea to pick out this fabulous new duvet cover for the spare bedroom...

I'm so excited! hehe...and then after that my shopping escapades are done! Joy plans on hitting some fabric stores, and following her own shopping agenda, which is fine. :o) I make an excellent shopping partner as long as I'm entertained lol. Stephanie and I are trading shifts tomorrow, so I will be working from 9:00 - 5:00, which is pretty sweet. Not only do I get to sleep in, but I get to leave earlier than usual! lol....yay for me!

Well, I think I'm going to attempt to eat this chocolate bar....I hope they didn't ruin everything that makes kit kat so wonderful lol.

Sara

-Who's counting down to when her hunny comes home....17 more sleeps!

Death of a Legend...

2006-06-20T20:35:00.000-04:00

We are gathered here today to pay our respects to the legendary goldfish, Bob. Bob was a big fish. A really big fish. He started as just a small little goldfish purchased at the Sudbury Walmart one fall morning in 2000. He was purchased with a friend, Jay, and has outlived this friend, and many others along the way. Bob has been through ups and downs, and has come close to that fateful freezing more than once, but has always managed to defy the freezer and live on in his large and happy existence. Today Bob was found laying bottoms up at the bottom of the fish tank in Colin's living room. Bob had finally swam his last swim....he was sleeping with the fishes, as it were. ( Actually, only one fish, Doug is still going strong!). Bob will definitely be missed. If it were possible for fish to have personalities, Bob definitely did. He lived a good life, and was a good fish.

R.I.P. and Snootchy Bootchy, Silent Bob Janssen!

Sara
- Who is actually going to miss Bob, in an odd sort of way lol.

shakin' her boo-tay

2006-06-14T21:19:00.000-04:00

So what's got my booty shakin' this week? Here's what's getting regular rotation on my computer and mp3 player:

1) Promiscuous Girl - Nelly Furtado
2) Walking With The Ghost - Tegan and Sara
3) Dance Dance - Fallout Boy
4) Santa Monica (Acoustic Version) - Theory of a Deadman
5) Save Your Scissors - City and Colour
6) Mobile - Montreal Calling
7) Sunday Kind of Love - Etta James
8) What Am I to You? - Norah Jones (my favourite musician to sing along to!)
9) Good People - Jack Johnson
10) Goin' Up The Country - Canned Heat

What have you been listening to? TAG you're it!

Sara

An Obsessed Aunt....

2006-06-14T12:09:00.000-04:00

Okay, I haven't done this yet....and I'm really surprised I haven't! Here are some wonderful pictures of my absolutely delightful, cute-as-a-button, adorable little nephew. (I don't love him at ALL!! lol..) I only have a small obsession lol.

Keenan is in the hospital again, but this time it's not as serious. He has an enlarged liver and spleen, and a vitamin K deficiency, so he's being flown down to Sick Kids hospital today or tomorrow so they can get him all fixed up. The doctor told Colin and Crystal it's not life threatening, but we're still worried about the little dude. Some white light heading his way, and tons of love!

Sara

Happy Days Are Here Again....

2006-06-06T12:37:00.000-04:00

They're GONE!! Those oh-so-wonderful neighbours we had upstairs are GOOOOOOONE! The Super told me yesterday afternoon that they are officially moved out! It sounds like they left the apartment in a real mess, but that's besides the point. They're GONE and I couldn't be happier! It's so quiet at night now!....*dreamy sigh* Now here's hoping the next people to move in are nice and quiet!

Sara

- 32 more sleeps until my hunny comes home!

Meme Part #2

2006-06-01T12:45:00.000-04:00

MEME Part II

1. If you could only repent for one thing when you die, what would you choose?
That I didn’t always have the courage to stand up for my beliefs.

2. What are 3 things in your life that you feel you honestly deserve?
Respect for who I am
A good life, with happiness and love
A house and a new car

3. When was the last time you had to search most deeply for your inner strength?
Sunday night, when I had to take Matt to the bus station for his training. That’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.

4. How many simple things have you learned to appreciate more for one reason or another?
Lots, like Matt’s random singing, his little tickles, and touches. Now that he’s not here I don’t realize how much I liked it.

I also love when the kids at work sit in my lap, or come over to me just for a hug. It makes me feel so good, and they give such great hugs! God, I love kids.

Simplicity of life. Sometimes life doesn’t need to be complicated. Since I had my breakdown I’ve learned that life isn’t worth stressing out over the little things. Like I said, life doesn’t need to be complicated. I still lose sight of that sometimes, but it’s a learning process.

5. What truth about yourself do you wish wasn’t so?
I wish that I wasn’t so hard on myself. I am truly my own worst enemy. – I have to agree with you Bea. I bring myself down a lot. Not as much as I used to, but I’m still very hard on myself and I figure I should know how, and be able to do anything that’s required of me in a prompt fashion, and perfectly. (Let’s not even get into self-image. I’m really hard on myself with that as well.)

6. What is the biggest age difference you can tolerate between you and your partner?
Well, I’ve dated a guy who was 4 years older than me, I dated a guy who was 2 years younger then me, and now I have Matt who’s 4 months younger than me. I’m comfy with that hehe. Honestly, some days he seems so much more mature than me! lol But what is they say? Growing old is mandatory, growing UP is optional.

7. What is the most expensive thing in your clothing closet?
Holy crap….ummmm…if it was here it would be my old prom dress, it cost $200…but here in Sudbury, it would have to be…*thinks* Matt’s Columbia dress pants lol. I kid you not, they cost $80! Thank goodness they were a gift! (BTW none of my clothes cost that much lol)

8.What is the fondest memory you have of your mother?
Well, it’s not the fondest memory, but it’s a good one. It seems very odd, but I have this great memory of my mom and I playing with my Barbie’s out on the front step at our old house in Sault Ste. Marie. She was helping me dress them, and teaching me to brush their hair and style it. It’s funny because I rarely played with my Barbie’s, but that’s one memory I don’t think I’ll ever forget lol. Funny how Some things stick with you.

9. What was the job you had before your current position?
Working in the depths of hell at a daycare that shouldn’t be running. I loved working with the kids, but I hated the centre and the people who ran it.

10. Have you ever been sexually harassed at work? If so, what happened?I was harassed (and even stalked) by a creepy guy when I worked at the golf Course. It was actually pretty scary. He would come by my favourite places when I was there, he’d drive by the house, and he even went so far as to invite me to his house for dinner on his birthday. He wouldn’t stop harassing me. And it’s really scary because when you’re not in that situation you think you’re strong enough to stand up for yourself, but it’s totally different when you’re actually in it. You get so flustered, and you’re caught off guard. It’s very hard to stand up for yourself.

11. List 8 of your pet peeves
1. JOGGING PANTS!!!!! Why oh why did we ever invent jogging pants??? They’re unsightly enough at home, but why, God, WHY do people insist on wearing them in public?!?!.
2. People who don’t wear deoderant or refuse to bathe when they smell so horrid.
3. People who make fun of cops, or "hate" cops.
4. Women/Girls who wear entirely too much makeup.
5. Clothing industry. Why do they feel the need to sell micro-mini skirts and form fitting spaghetti strap tank tops to 8 and 10 year old girls?? There’s something wrong with this…not to mention the fact that there's no such thing as standardized sizing. I can be a size 12 in one store, and go to the next one and be a size 18. No wonder I have body issues.
6. Noisy neighbours
7. Lying – I mean really, you get into more trouble when you get caught for lying than you would if you just admitted the truth. (This includes pathological liars).
8. Gossiping – It’s not a sport people….you don’t get points for being the one to badmouth the most people. Let it go!!! If it’s something that bothers you that much, tell the person who’s bothering you. Don’t tell eeeeeveryone else and then "hope" it doesn’t get around to the other person. It always does, and it always ends badly.

12. What is one of your biggest fears and how might you overcome it?My biggest fear is that my life with Matt might change. It’s part of what brought about my whole little panic-attack. I heard a voice in my head that said I didn’t love him anymore, and I knew that wasn’t true. But it got me to thinking about whether I did or not, and what life would be like without him, and what I would do if he left me, etc. And it quite honestly scared the crap out of me. He’s my whole world, and I can’t imagine my life with anybody else.

Finally getting around to this....

2006-06-01T12:39:00.000-04:00

The Questions:

1- Do people notice you when you walk into a room?
Yes, most times, but I certainly don’t stand out in a crowd.

2- When is the last time you became unraveled?
Almost precisely a month ago.

3-What are you good at?
I’m a great listener, and good at helping people. I’m great at reading children’s stories, baking, gardening, and I like to think I’m good at drawing.

4-What's in your pocket?
Nada, I’m in my jammies hehe. Winnie the Pooh jammies, btw.

5-What songs would you play to match these situations:
a) sporting event-Gary Glitter's Rock and Roll part 2. I have to agree, Bea, it’s classic. It makes a hockey game lol.
b) party- Oh my goodness….something cheesie like "Whoomp, There it is" HA HA
c) when you're feelng depressed- Norah Jones, she’s mellow but not too depressing so Idon’t dive into a deep funk.
d) while driving or walking- Anything by Jack Johnson
e) when you're feeling frisky- LOL "Crazy on You" by Heart HA HA...No, not really...but it's a good song, non?

6-Name 3 songs that remind you of playing when you were a child.
Don’t Forget Me When I’m Gone – Glass Tiger
Heartbreaker – Pat Benatar (It was my couch bouncing song lol)
Cory Hart - sunglasses at Night

7-How would you spend a rainy holiday weekend?
The way I spent the last one. A little bit of traveling to visit family, and just relaxing and enjoying their company.

8- What song is playing right now?
Rodeo Clowns – Jack Johnson

9-If you could have a DVD/VHS of any TV show that you watched as a child, what would it be?
LOL Fraggle Rock, without a doubt. Closely followed by Today’s Special, or Mr. Dress-up

10-Name 5 songs that remind you of summer.
Mungo Jerry – In The Summertime
Trooper – I Can See Clearly Now
Three Dog Night – Summer In The City
Guess Who – Follow Your Daughter Home
Bob Marley – Jammin’

11-Name a food you can't live without.
strawberries

12- How do you like your eggs?
love eggs benedict, but if I can’t have it, I take them over easy please.

13-What kind of food are you?
Strawberries: Something sweet but just a little tangy hehe.

14-Are you brave or cowardly?
Overall I have to say cowardly simply because I don’t like confrontation…but I have definitely been brave and will need to be again one day. Bravery is needed for many different situations.

15- What makes you lose focus?
Matt, catchy music, and a nice smell

16-When is the last time you felt appreciated?
When I was texting Matt while he was on his way to Hamilton, something he said threw me into tears because it was so romantic.

17-What is the weirdest thing about you?
Oh god….any number of things lol. My obsession with hating jogging pants, my neat-freakness, my sense of humour…I could go on lol.

18-If like the newspaper you could have anything delivered to your front doorstep each and every morning, what would it be?
Oh wow….fresh flowers, strawberries, and tons of warm fuzzy cozy things like blankets lol.

19-Which month of the year describes your personality?
May – A little bit of everything, not over-bearing, but refreshing.

20-Who is your hero & why?
My Mom is my hero.She’s a beautiful woman who’s raised two children, kept a household running, kept their finances going, maintained a great relationship with her family, and all the while making life easier for us. She’s always there when I need an ear, and I know I can go to her with anything because I know she’s been there. She can share her knowledge and experience, and she never judges me.

21-Name something (of non-monetary value) that you've always wanted but have never received.
A canoe ride under the stars.

Part 2 is in the next post.

Sara
- Who took 4 days to do this thing lol

The New Do!

2006-05-30T18:53:00.000-04:00

So I bit the bullet and got my hair cut short. Yup, you read that right, I got my hair cut short. Me being the girl who said I'd never get it cut short again, has gone and done it lol. Actually, it's not as short as I was thinking, I'd like the sides a bit shorter next time, but I still like it. I feel so FREEEEEE! lol just kididng, although it does feel nice that the wind can blow it's head off and it won't blow the hair in my face lol.

Here are some pics: (Pay no attention to the scary one at the end....hello deer in the headlights?!)

Sara
- Who hasn't had short hair since halfway through highschool.

The Seven of Swords

2006-05-30T11:50:00.000-04:00

Today I pulled the 7 of Swords:

In A Reading: Many 7s denote a period of introspection or solitude. They also indicate unlooked-for advantages or gain through things that come unexpectedly.

Many swords predict tremendous activity, agitation, or acceleration, because Swords show the last stages of effort before the final result.

Focus: The focus is on attempts, efforts, uncertain or unstable conditions, introspection, analysis, perfection, priorities, self-protection, family members, partners, and health.

Desire: You want someone to call or come by, to correct a problem area, and/or get away from work or responsibilities.

Romance: An admirere will want to see you and will phone or come to call.

The Home: Youw ill be trying to put things into perspective or perfect an idea but will have problems trying to establish priorities, meet scheduled plans, or follow through with a course of action.

Pleasure: A surreptitious advantage is coming your way (in your finances or love life) that will put a smile on your face and a song in your heart.

The Physical Body: You could be experiencing problems with your breasts, and trying to accomplish too much will result in tension aches and pains. Stop, or head problems could result. A rest and/or muscle relaxer would greatly help.

Finances: You will experience anxiety over the recipt of money or a check thought lost, but it will shortly be recovered. An unexpected financial gain could also be indicated.

Time: In time you will conclude matters successfully, and take time off to rest and relax.

Anxiety: Striving for perfection and trying to establish priorities, meet deadlines, or keep appointments will be a constant source of aggravation for you.

New Beginnings: You'll begin to see things as they really are in terms of objectives and establish a precedent; and, if you have been working too hard, you will take some time off for R&R.

Success: You're going to have unexpected financial gains, and your good judgment and ability to establish correct priorities will prove to be successful.

Fortune: You'll be lucky in establishing better conditions. Finding bargains and getting gifts and good fortune will come through business affairs, social activities, and unexpected events.

Blessings: You are going to be grateful for an unexpected financial gain or surreptitious advantage.

Special Guidance: Mundane - Things are going to clear up and work out.

Best Course of Action: Maintain mental or emotional balance, keep things in their proper perspective, and take things slow and easy. If you're having a problem, don't struggle with it; take time off, or just drop it for now.

Outcome: A friend, lover, or new alliance will be very beneficial to your life, your work, or your career.

Sara

-Who thinks the Tarot can sometimes be really freaky!

Another Strange Dream

2006-05-30T06:41:00.000-04:00

I had a dream last night that I was staying over at my friend Karla's house. For some reason her friend Angela (whom she hasn't seen in years) was there as well. It was about 3 in the morning when the house started shaking, there were orbs flying around the room, and a demon was trying to get into the house. Karla and Angela were panicking, but I knew what to do, I was just afraid to do it because I thought Angela might judge me (she was that kind of person when we were in highschool). I swallowed my fear and I grabbed Karla's hand, and told Angela to hold my hand and Karla's to make a circle. I used their energy and I said "I protect this house with a circle of white light" and I kept repeating that mantra. The more I repeated and the louder I got the more the house shook.

I could hear the demon outside roaring and getting really angry. A white light surrounded the house and filtered into the room through the windows. I closed my eyes and focused on the demon and said "I command you to leave this house", the demon got even more angry and was trying to get into my head, to distract me but I kept focused. I said "I protect this house with a circle of white light, leave this house!", he still kept fighting me. Finally I mustered all of my strength and shouted really loudly, "LEAVE!" It sounded like my voice was magnified by 1000, but all the shaking stopped, and the demon was gone. All that was left was the white light surrounding the house.

We immediately left the house to go tell our families. I ran down the street and found Matt. I told him the whole story, and we started walking down the street. I felt an evil presence in the area, something in the pit of my stomach told me the demon was nearby. I took Matt's hands in mine and cast a circle of protection around the two of us. I saw the demon run into my parents yard so we went running so I could help my mom cast a circle and fight off the demon. I got into the house, and we cast a circle around the house and beat the demon again. That's when I woke up.

The odd part was, when I woke up, there was a white light in my room lol. I woke myself up talking, maybe I really did cast a circle of protection??

Sara
-Who really does have odd dreams.

5 of Pentacles

2006-05-29T06:29:00.000-04:00

This morning I drew the 5 of Pentacles for my tarot reading.

The 5 of Pentacles means:

In A Reading: Many 5s indicate change, challenge, and fluctuations (lucky or unlucky). They also indicate material prosperity but spiritual poverty if not properly balanced or understood.

Focus: The focus is on self-doubt or confusion; difficult dealings with others; unfortunate circumstaces with love, business or marriage; misfortune, suffering and loss; and upsets or pressures caused by someone or something.

Romance: You will long to be with the one your heart yearns fo...no other can take his/her place or fill the void.

The Home: You will fbe feeling discouraged or melancholy and in need of rest from mental or emotional stress.

Emotional State: You will be anxious, depressed, or filled with doubt and will feel inadequate, unconfident, or insecure; but a lot of what you're feeling is a direct result of being overtaxed (mentally or physically) and pushing yourself beyond your limits.

Pleasure: Your finances will improve, but your pleasure will be dimmed by hardships and suffereing.

Disappointment: You will be very sad that your love for someone is unrequited, or that you can't be together, and will wonder if it's because of a karmic debt or predetermined course. A mechanical breakdown or car accident could also be indicated.

Rewards/Gifts: You're going to get an unexpected financial surprise, or someone will shower you with gifts or money.

Special Guidance: Esoteric - You're in need of a spiritual transfusion. Platitudes and handout philosophies from your fellow man will not alleviate your despair. But this kind of suffering develops compassion, and spiritual deliverance must have an empty vessel to pour itself into before it can descend.

Best Course of Action: Drop any preconceived notions or expectations in romantic matters because your hopes will not be realized. Concentrate on business, trade, or commerce, because those areas will prosper.

Outcome: You will have to deal with uncomfortable issues whether you want to or not, but in times to come will realize that it was for the best or the only way you could have grown.

* By the way, I'm using the Egyptian Tarot for my readings, and I get all of my card meanings from "Tarot Made Easy" by Nancy Garen. It's a fantastic book, and it makes Tarot reading so much easier.

Sara

- Who's going to have an expensive phone bill next month lol

Tarot of the Day

2006-05-28T13:03:00.000-04:00

I'm going to start a new post theme. Every day, (or at least the days I remember) I'm going to post my tarot of the day. This will be a way of helping myself, giving myself some guidance, plus giving me something interesting to put on my blog every day. :o)

So, today's tarot card is:

The 4 of Swords

In A Reading: Many 4s indicate fruition or the manifestation of an idea, along with the foundation or "space" where things can grow.

Focus: The focus in on activity, with special emphasis on printed materials such as letters, papers, and graphs, as well as money matters, social affairs, self-promotion, and starting or renewing a business of your own.

Desire: You want desires to be fulfilled and/or want spiritual support or transformation.

Romance: You will experience a feeling of being "cut off" or "out of touch" but your determination to overcome negative conditions will win out.

Others: You will be looking for a way to handle a situation that seems unjust, unfair or not right.

Travel: You will be discussing travel plans. Better to put them off, as they will cause unhappiness. (this is funny because I almost hopped in the car and went to Elliot this morning, but decided against it).

Emotional State: No matter what you have suffered in the past, you'll be on purpose again, and your hope and determination will be renewed.

Time: Whatever has been (or is) troubling you is not going to last. You will soon have a change of heart...a happy change.

Endings: Something you imagined would be the case is not going to transpire...something regarding a planned activity connected with your work, travel, or romance.

New Beginnings: You will experience frustration, anger, or tears resulting from unfufilled desires or insurmountable difficulties, but that condition will not last long.

Rewards/Gifts: A small gift will be given and the person who receives it will be very glad. (This one is also funny because I stuck a small "love you and miss you" note in Matt's bag last night so he'd find it when he unpacks tonight. When he finds it I know he'll love it).

Special Guidance: Mundane- You will get what you want.

Best Course of Action: Pray or ask for what is rightfully yours and continue to apply yourself to the work at hand.

Outcome: You will need a rest before any further activity can be resumed.

Well, he's gone..

2006-05-28T01:05:00.000-04:00

I took Matt to the bus tonight to head down to Hamilton, and I have to say that's one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I know he's coming back, and I know I get to see him next weekend, but it feels like my heart is breaking. I just can't stop crying, and I already miss him so much. I missed him before the bus even left the terminal. I'm not looking forward to coming home to an empty apartment everyday, and waking up to no one beside me. It's amazing...you don't realize just how much you love someone until they're gone. This is going to be the hardest 6 weeks.

Sara
- 6 sleeps until I see him again, and 42 more sleeps until he's home.

Strange Event

2006-05-18T18:05:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I had something interesting happen to me on the drive to work yesterday morning. I was driving down one of the main roads in the city, just around the corner from our apartment. I'm toodling along, not really thinking about anything when I see, out of the corner of my eye, a man laying on the side of the road by a big rock in the grass. He was laying on his side, propped up on his elbow. He had blue jeans on, what looked like a blue and white shirt (either stripes or plaid I couldn't tell) and he had blond hair that was about eye length, but short at the back. (You know the 90s style that a lot of guys had??). Anyway, I looked back and he was gone. There was no one there, not even anyone walking around. It happened so quickly, and yet it was all so clear. I knew right away I had seen a ghost, but of all the strange places to see him, I found it so odd. It's also the first ghost I've seen in a while.

There have been strange things happening around the apartment lately as well. We have these christmas tree pins that we have on our fridge and the one day it just started flashing for no reason. (They're supposed to flash, except you have to twist them to make them flash lol). And then that same day, Matt and I were sitting watching tv when one of my ducks on top of the tv started flashing. (They're also supposed to flash, but not unless you touch the sensors on their bellies). This only happens once in a while, and it hadn't happened for a loooooong time. AND THEN that same night, we were laying in bed watching tv, the bedroom door was open (which is rare, I almost always have it closed when I'm in there) and Matt saw an orb, clear as day, go by the door in the hallway. It's funny how all of this has been going on. It's also interesting how we can go for a long time with not seeing anything and then all of a sudden everything comes at once. The other day I was taking pictures of my garden to show my aunt, and a lot of orbs showed up in the pictures.

In this picture, the orb can be seen right beside the drain pipe coming down the wall.

In the next picture there are three orbs. One looks like it could be a lense flare, but the two smaller ones further down the fence are really odd. My aunt pointed them out to me! I thought it was pretty cool. What do you think?

Sara
-Who's in awe of the weird things happening lately.

Gardening Goddess

2006-05-13T16:12:00.000-04:00

Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I got my garden planted this weekend, and it looks absolutely faboo!!! Of course, I went flower shopping this morning and bought entirely too many flowers lol. Now I have a surplus so I get to plant them into pots (Awwwww...that's so tragic...really it is lol). I bought a couple more perennials, and a ton of annuals. There were some great sales this weekend. I think I spent a total of $60 on flowers today, and it all looks great! I can't wait for them to start growing bigger. My only concern is now that I've transplanted my morning glories from the pot I started them in, they're not looking so good. But, all I can do is keep an eye on them and plant more seeds if these ones die. Either way, here's a picture of my latest accomplishment! I'm so thrilled lol. I think the funniest is that Matt let me use his old habatchi as a flower pot lol. It looks so cute! HA HA. The last picture shows all the flowers I have yet to plant :o).

Sara
-Who loves gardening just a little too much.

I Can See Clearly Now...

2006-05-10T11:04:00.000-04:00

Wow, life just got fantastic!! I'm feeling a lot better after my little "episode", so that's one reason life is good. Not to mention the HUGE queen size bed that just got delivered to the apartment! YAY!! Matt and I have a grown-up bed lol. But the real reason I'm so happy? MATT GOT HIS JOB!!!! He got the call on Monday to say that he's been hired at Cecil Facer and he goes for his training on May 28! He'll be gone for 6 weeks, which really doesn't make me happy, but when he gets back he's going to have a killer job with great pay!! We couldn't be happier...now we can start to get life on track. We both have fantastic jobs, we'll be making great money and will finally be able to afford to start paying off some debts. ALL HAIL THE UNIVERSAL ENERGIES! I send my sincerest thanks out to the universe, you've done a grand job. :o)

In other news, my parents are having a fantastic time in Ireland. My mom says almost everything she looks at is a "Kodak Moment" lol. I'm sure they'll have tons of pictures when they get back hehe. Not to mention tons of souvenirs. It sounds like my mom's buying up all of Ireland on her travels lol. Ah well, what better way to remember a trip, right? :o) Either way, I'm thrilled they're having such a good time but I am excited for their return hehe. I plan on having a nice cake made for them to celebrate their return. Mmmmm cake lol.

Sara
-Who's feeling fantastic today!

Well They're Off

2006-05-07T07:30:00.000-04:00

My parents called and left a message yesterday from Ireland: they arrived safely. I can now relax lol. My dad said they got lost 3 or 4 times trying to get out of Cork, but they were in Skibbereen calling from a pay phone. They weren't able to rent a cell phone at the airport and the cottage they're staying in doesn't have a phone, so they have to call when they find payphones. Once I talk to them today I'll be fine. I missed their call yesterday and I was a little upset, but once I talk to them today I'll be okay. They won't have to call me everyday lol. My aunt has been calling me everyday just to see how I'm doing. I'm actually doing really well considering how I felt this time last weekend. Either way, I'm excited my parents are finally in Ireland hehe. I can't wait to see all the pictures and hear all the stories!

Sara

Neighbour Saga - Pt. 2

2006-04-28T06:34:00.000-04:00

It's FRIDAY!!!!! YAY!!!!!!

Okay, now that I have that out of my system lol. I'm excited for the weekend only because we're going out of town for the weekend and I won't have to deal with the stupid people upstairs. Matt went to take rent to the super last night and put in yet another complaint about the people upstairs. 5 nights in a row now the music has been loud, stomping, and loud voices right at bedtime. I haven't been able to sleep properly for 5 night nows. Matt found out that the 2 people we were told had moved out are moved back in now making it a total of 6 people up there again. Apparently this is how it works up there. The brother and sister can tolerate each other to the boiling point, they blow up at one another, have a huge fight, and the brother and his girlfriend move out for about a week or two, and then come back to start the process all over again. Matt also learned that the reason it's so quiet through the day is that the psycho-chick's boyfriend/husband/gigolo/whatever he is works night shift so he's sleeping all day. I got rather ticked about that, because it's alright for them to be considerate and quiet for him while he's sleeping through the day but it makes no nevermind to them about being quiet at night when everyone else in the building is sleeping. Like me, who has to get up at 5:50am every morning for work, I'm in bed by 9:00 trying to sleep, but it never works thanks to them.

Anyway, Matt found out an interesting little tidbit last night. The landlord is trying to get approval to put in an elevator. If they get approval apparently it means that the people upstairs will HAVE to move because they need that apartment for the elevator. Matt and I were puzzled, and Matt asked if that meant we would have to move as well, and Norm assures us that we can stay where we are. There's no need for us to go anywhere. Either way, when Matt talks to the landlady I told him to tell her that if they're not out soon, we're moving. I can't stand this anymore. I love the apartment, but I can't enjoy it with those idiots upstairs. BUT if they do get approval for the elevator, and it goes in ASAP, We'll have no neighbours on one side, no neighbours above us, only neighbours on the other side. It would be sooooooo quiet lol. Here's hoping approval comes soon!!!
Sara
-Who's looking fordward to a weekend of delightful sleep.

Of the Moment...

2006-04-25T13:37:00.000-04:00

So what are the songs I'm seeking out on my Mp3 player right now? Here's a top 10 list:

1) Vicarious - Tool
2) Jungle Gym - Jack Johnson
3) Dance, Dance - Fallout Boy
4) Dani California - Red Hot Chili Peppers
5) Golddigger - Kanye West (I love the Jamie Foxx bit hehe)
6) Landing in London - 3 Doors Down
7) Rich Girl - Gwen Stefani
8) The Grace - Neverending White Lights
9) Burn One Down - Ben Harper
10) With My Own Two Hands - Jack Johnson and Ben Harper

It's pretty generic this week, but sometimes you just have to lol. It's all about what you enjoy listening to, right? Whatever makes you happy hehe.

Sara
- Who has to head back to work now.

As I Sit Here...

2006-04-25T06:29:00.000-04:00

As I sit here eating my muffins and waiting to go to work, the neighbours upstairs are stomping around. I'm welcomed by the same sound that taunted me while I was trying to sleep last night. I obviously finally fell asleep at some point because I opened my eyes and it was 10 minutes before my alarm. Alright, I'll just get up, no big deal. Eyes fuzzy, feet hurting, and head heavy from sleep I start the shower. The shower felt fantastic, as always. The decision for what to wear wasn't all that difficult, burgundy velvet pants, and my striped shirt. Give Matt a kiss, off I go to get breakfast. All the while the people upstairs are stomping around. It just amazes me how someone so small can be so heavy on their feet and be in so many places at once. We haven't heard from the landlady in a few weeks now, we're wondering if maybe she's not going to try and evict them anymore? I hope that's not the case because she'll find herself short two good tenants p.d.q. Well, not really, because on the whole this apartment is a rarity in this city. Not too expensive, really nice, awesome location (except for the cemetary lol). Anything like this in the city would cost us at least $100 more a month. No thanks. I guess I'll suffer in silence. But it's sad, I'm afraid to put our patio chairs out for fear of having cigarette butts thrown on them. I'm afraid to put a garden in because their teenage son is a little jerk and would probably throw butts in it, kleenex, food, or worse, rip it up. But, I'm going to do it anyway, and if something happens I'll take pictures and inform the landlady. That's all I can do.

Well, my breakfast is done, it's gone quiet upstairs and it's 15 minutes until I have to go to work. I guess I'll shuffle off to....(Nuffalo!!!) the bedroom and get my socks lol. I just noticed it's -2 out this morning....ACK!!! lol Spring got ousted by winter once again! Oiy!!

Sara
-Who's having a blah day today and would have preferred to stay in bed despite the fact she loves her job.

Yeah...no sleep for Sara...

2006-04-22T22:08:00.000-04:00

So Colin, Matt and myself went to see Silent Hill tonight. If you're a fan of amazingly creepy psychological thrillers I highly recommend this movie. OH MY GOD!!! I warn you it's not your typical horror movie. It's not one scare after another. There is actually somewhat of a storyline with this one hehe. But, the "dream" sequences, or the "darkness" scenes are delightfully freaky, and the creatures and characters are so creepy!! This was one horror movie that actually sucked me into the action and had me tense almost the whole movie. If you're not a fan of creatures that move in unnatural ways, or freakish deaths, and the walking dead...this might not be a movie you should rush out and watch lol. But, if you're like me and are always looking for the next scare, and love psychological thrillers, then I highly suggest you watch this one.

Sara

-Who doesn't think there's much point in sleeping tonight.

Mmmm Cake....Wedding Plans Pt. 2

2006-04-19T12:32:00.000-04:00

So I've heard back from the cake lady in Elliot Lake, and she's basically given me free reign to come up with my own cake design. Once Matt and I decide on a cake we can sit down with her and discuss what can work, what can't, what flavours and icings we want, and what colours. She can also do up a sample for us (which Matt's excited about lol, and me!!) So I hit the internet and started checking out wedding cake pictures, just to get some ideas. She says she also has books we can look through when we go if we'd like some more ideas. But, after about 10 minutes of searching I found two cakes that almost completely sum up exactly what I'm looking for in a cake. one day when I'm feeling brave I might sit down and draw up exactly what I want using these pictures, but for now you have to use your imagination lol.

This first picture is what I want for icing. I love the look of fondant, and I really really like the swag look. It's very classy yet very simple (which is exactly how I want our wedding to come across as well!! I try to live my life like that :oP). I love the 3 tiered look, but I don't want all the tiers attached. I want each tier to be separate, since we're serving it as dessert. I have a picture for the cake stand I'd like too!!

The second aspect of the cake is the decorations. I want lilies, since that's going to be the major flower in my bouquet. I found this cake that has stargazer lilies all over it, and that's exactly what I want except I don't want stargazer lilies, I just want regular white lilies. They don't have to be real flowers, infact I don't want them to be. Hoepfully it won't be too much work to make icing flowers!! lol. I'll probably show the cake lady the cake ideas I have and she'll freak lol. For a little bit of accent colour I'd like it if she could add some purple in there, since that's my colour for the wedding. I have some lavender in my bouquet so maybe she can add some lavender in there....who knows. Like I said, it's all ideas so far. OH OH!!! I just had an idea!! I wonder if she could dye the fondant for the swag to match my purple colour??? Could you imagine how sharp that would look with the white lilies??? Hmmmm...I'll log that one away for future reference!!! :oD (Okay, I'm getting way too into this lol)

The stand I like is pretty modern, but I think it's really pretty. It's a 3-level cake stand just like this one, they're all separated to make it easier to serve for dessert. Of course, I can only go with what she has, so obviously this is something I'll have to compromise on lol. The last thing I'd want to do is become a bridezilla lol. So that's basically what I want for a cake. If you can make sense of that, more power to you!! lol...after trying to explain all of this I'm realizing that it probably would be a good idea to draw up an example, as best I can, of what it is I'm looking for lol.

As for the flavours, Matt really wants chocolate cake with white icing, and I'm cool with that. Cake is cake lol. As long as it tastes good and people enjoy it!

So that's all for now as far as wedding plans go! I'm sure the cake will end up costing more than my dress lol...scary thought!!!

Sara
-Who's counting down....13 months to the day until the wedding!

Hurray! Success!!!

2006-04-18T19:36:00.000-04:00

My first day of work was fantastic! This is the first time in a few months where I've come home from work chipper, happy, and no headache! I love the centre and all the girls that work there are really nice. I don't think it's going to take me long to catch on at all. Infact I picked up most of it today! I think I'm really going to learn to like this split-shift. I get my afternoon to run errands and just fart around, and then I go back to work for 3 hours. No biggy! I'm very excited!

I left work at 10:30 and Matt and I managed to get everything done today that we wanted to! I rescheduled my hearing test and appointment with the specialist, we paid off our furniture and my ring, and I even got to go out for lunch!! Life is on track. Now, I'm anxiously awaiting my doctors appointment on Sunday....my lady bits aren't quite right and I want to get checked to make sure I'm okay (sorry for the details!). I'm a little nervous because silly me started doing some research and I'm finding out what COULD be wrong...but Matt's telling me to calm down that I shouldn't have done any research and that I'll be fine. All I can do is talk to the doctor and let him figure it out. So, as fun as this week is going to be, I'm looking forward to Sunday. :o) (And mom, don't panic, it's not as bad as you're thinking...I just hurt!)

Ta ta for now!!

Sara

Here comes Peter Cottontail

2006-04-13T07:18:00.000-04:00

Well, it's the Easter long weekend. It also just so happens that this is my last day of work at the hell-hole. As of 4:30pm this afternoon I will no longer be an employee of the worst daycare/preschool I have ever seen. There are parts I'm going to miss. I'll miss the kids and two of my co-workers. The rest I couldn't care less about. I've gotten the number of one of my co-workers so we can get together for coffee sometime and just catch up. I'm also helping her look for work so she can get out of there too. The bosses tore into her yesterday and were trying to blame her for something that was beyond her control, something that the "big boss" did of his own accord. She got so pissed off she told our supervisor that she's looking for another job and as soon as she finds one she's gone. Of course that wasn't good news to them because they've lost 4 employees in the last month. Needless to say things were tense around there yesterday. Actually it's been tense all week and I can't WAIT to get out of there.

I'll be gone for the weekend so I likely won't be posting any blog entries while I'm gone. I'm heading up to Elliot for the long weekend. I'll be paying Karla a visit, and I'll be spending time with family. I'm really looking forward to it. And I'll have one less stress in my life with leaving my job today. *happy sigh* Ahhh ain't life grand?? On to $16/hr, full benefits and job security. I love it!!!

HAPPY EASTER!!!!

Sara
-Packs her bags and heads off for a delightful weekend!

BBQ Brush Update...

2006-04-11T20:17:00.000-04:00

Matt went out and bought a new barbeque brush today lol. He hasn't put it under the lid, and I don't think he plans on it lol. He plans on looking for a piece of wire to fashion some sort of hook so he doesn't lose it, or accidentally set it aflame lol.

Why yes, Matt, plastic does melt with fire....

2006-04-09T17:06:00.000-04:00

LOL In one of Matt's greatest moments of brilliance, we are now short one barbeque brush hehe. We were getting ready for dinner, Matt goes out and turns on the barbeque to warm it up. We get the burgers ready, get my hot dog ready and he goes out to throw them on the grill. As he steps out the door he's welcomed by flames shooting out the back of the barbeque (which is up against a wooden fence I might add lol). He lifts the lid to find the barbeque brush on the grill hehehe. He forgot to take it off the grill before lighting it lol. He runs in grabs the water spritzer and starts his attack on the flames shooting out the barbeque lol. I go out, see the fire and go back in for a glass of water to douse the flames. When I get back outside Matt has just about won his battle with the flames, but I smother the last of them with my glass of water. Honestly, I couldn't help but laugh lol. Matt had to take apart the barbeque so he could scrape all the melted plastic off the grill, the burner cover and the inside of the barbeque lol. I went outside to watch and tried to keep the grin off my face lol. He's laughing about it now, but at the time I think he felt a little silly lol.

So what valuable lessons did we learn today, kids? Don't ever put a plastic barbeque brush inside a barbeque when you're not using it. If you do, ALWAYS remember to remove it before starting your barbeque!

Sara

It finally hit me....

2006-04-09T16:58:00.000-04:00

I've been tossing ideas around in my head for something nice to do for Colin for being a new daddy. I've had great ideas for photographs, and different graphic ideas I could do with various pictures I have of him and Keenan, but nothing really struck me. Besides that everyone else is giving them pictures of Keenan and themselves. I wanted to do something that he could look at and know right away that it was from me, and have it mean something special to him. Well, as I mentioned before, I'm in love with the song "With My Own Two Hands" by Jack Johnson and Ben Harper. I was listening to that song when Keenan was in the hospital and I said to Matt, "This is Keenan's song." It's about strength, courage and determination. It's about admitting that you need help, but knowing that you can make a difference as one person. Well, there is a specific part of that song that I think fits Colin and Keenan. It goes like this:

I'm gonna make it a brighter place
With my own two hands
I'm gonna make it a safer place
With my own two hands...

I can hold you
With my own two hands
I can comfort you
With my own two hands...

With my own
With my own two hands.

Now, bear those verses in mind as you look at what I created to give to Colin to celebrate the birth of Keenan, and his new role as daddy.

I have it framed in a nice black frame with white matboard. I'm going to give it to him next weekend when they come to Elliot for Easter. :o)

Sara

Emotional Responses

2006-04-08T10:29:00.000-04:00

I was just looking at pictures from NYC that a friend took on her visit there. She went to Ground Zero and took some snapshots. I have to admit that I had a very strong emotional response to a very specific picture. This picture just blew me away. I immediately felt heartache, I got the shivers and felt on the verge of tears. Immediately, waves of pain, fear, and sadness came over me. I was in no way tied to any of the people who were victims of 9/11, nor was I in anyway linked to anybody who knew someone in 9/11. I suppose my emotional response was simply because I knew what happened there. I watched the events unfold on my television screen unable to comprehend the pain, anguish and tension of what was happening. As a member of the human race I suppose it's almost impossible not to have some sort of emotional response to an event such as 9/11. It would be like seeing the site of the concentration camps from WWII, it's just something that makes anybody stop and think. What makes humans capable of such atrocities? How can some people be so caring, loving, and giving, and yet so many are capable of something as ghastly as the holocaust? I suppose it's part of what makes our world so fascinating. It breaks my heart to think that there are people out there capable of killing, that not everyone is like me and wishes the world could just live in peace. Humanity has been this way since the dawn of time, and things aren't likely to change in my lifetime. It's too bad, because it's almost mind-blowing to think of the amazing things we could do if we just combined our efforts and worked together for a cause greater than the destruction or exploitation of the weak.

Thanks Ang, the pictures were fantastic. You've made me want to go see NYC, even Ground Zero, even though I have a feeling it'll be hard to see.

Sara
-Who's gotten way too philosophical for a Saturday morning.

Childhood Heroes and Memories

2006-04-01T21:45:00.000-05:00

I woke up in an odd mood this morning. First off I had two very different songs in my head and they were duking it out for the #1 spot in my head. Neither one won. One was "Landing in London" by Three Doors Down and Bob Seger. It's a fantastic song if you ask me, but I'm rather a fan of Bob Seger's raspy voice. Anyway, the second song was "Down on Grandpa's Farm" by Sharon Lois and Bram. I have loved Sharon Lois and Bram since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. I had one of their tapes that I played and played and played and played. I wish I still had it actually because it would come in handy working in childcare. Anyway, it put me on a search of other childhood favourites. Music lead to books, which lead to tv. So, in hommage of all of my favourite tv shows as a kid, I give to you the list of all my of childhood television heroes. The ones who helped my imagination run free, and gave entertainment during a time when television was still basically wholesome for kids.

The Friendly Giant

I would be lying if I said I watched this show faithfully. My brother was more of a fan than I was, but I do remember the good old "Look up. Look waaaaay up, and I'll call Rusty." I used to love when he played his recorder and I remember thinking, even back then, that he had the most gentle voice. I enjoyed listening to the show moreso than watching it. Odd how we remember these things? The smallest details make an impression even in childhood.

Fred Penner's Place

This show was absolutely, positively a favourite of mine. I used to love the word of the day. That always made a big impression on me. I even loved the opening credits of the show because of the strange sounding instruments, and the "Fred Penner's Place" being spoken in an odd voice. I still can't figure out how it was done lol. I loved watching him hike through the fields and rocks and finally the show started with Fred Penner crawling through a giant log and sitting on the rocks. I loved when he took out his guitar and would sing songs like "The Cat Came Back". In fact, that's the first memory I have of that song. And then of course there was the colourful parrot that lived in the word tree that gave him the word of the day everyday. This was definitely a great kids show. I sometimes wish it was still on lol.

Sharon, Lois and Bram

I will always, always, always and forever remember the Elephant Song and Skinnamarink. I LOVED that dancing elephant. LOL Maybe that's where my love of elephants comes from, who knows. I had my Sharon Lois and Bram tape and I played it endlessly as a young kid. Because of them I know songs like "Hot Cross Buns", "Five Brown Buns", "Horsey Horsey", "Fish and Chips and Vinegar", "I Am Slowly Going Crazy"...the list goes on and on. It's because of them that I have such a huge mental library of kids songs and that my kids love song time at work. One particular favourite that I had forgotten about was "She'll Be Comin' 'Round The Mountain". Kelly played it at work and I had a blast lol. Talk about a flashback! I hope you can still get their CDs when Matt and I finally have kids.

Polka-Dot Door

I don't know anybody my age and older who doesn't remember the Polka-Dot Door. "The Polka-dot door, the polka-dot door, we'll see you soon at the polka-dot door. With songs and stories and so much more (pause for music) At the Polka-dot door!" No, I wasn't addicted to this show at all lol. I loved everyday of the week on that show. They'd go on "tours" of factories, or how real life was. How things worked like cars, trains, or just take tours of zoos or parks. There was always an Animal day, and I LOVED animal day. They always went and visited all their pets at the Polka-Dot Door. I loved story time, and all the songs they'd sing. And best of all, the magic of Polka-Roo. Now, it seems obvious to me now that I'm older, that Polka-Roo was really just the second host of the show, but as a child, I loved when Polka-Roo came. I remember always thinking that it was too bad that one of the hosts always missed seeing Polka-Roo. Ahhh the joys of innocence hehe. This show is definitely a fond memory.

And finally....

Mr. Dress-Up

All I have to say is Casey and Finnigan. The team of Mr. Dress-Up and Casey and Finnigan was something I definitely loved while growing up. I loved everything about this show, from the toys he played with, his friends and visitors, the Tickle Trunk, and all the drawings he would do. It might sound kind of odd, but I distinctly remember watching Mr. Dress-Up and wishing that I could draw like him. And even more odd? To this day, everytime I'm drawing with a black magic marker I think of that show lol. Sometimes I even go back into my memory and think about what it was like watching that show and wishing I could draw just like Mr. Dress-Up. (and sometimes I'll even pretend I'm on my own kids show and drawing for my audience!!! But SHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhh). There are some days I really miss the innocence of childhood. The joys of learning new things. The fact that everything is so exciting. Maybe that's why I've chosen my career path? I feel the need to make a child's life a little brighter by enhancing their experience and helping them enjoy their experiences that much more. One thing is for sure, when I have my own kids, I'm going to make sure they're able to enjoy all the things in life that I enjoyed as a kid. I don't want them to miss out on a thing.

Of course this list doesn't include things like Romper Room, Today's Special, Littlest Prince, Fables of the Green Forest...there are so many. The list could be almost endless. Either way I enjoyed the trip down memory lane. Until next time...

Skinnamarinky-dinky-dink....skinnamarinky-doooo....

Sara

I believe in miracles...

2006-03-25T08:06:00.000-05:00

Keenan came home this week!! Tuesday night he arrived home with mommy and daddy. It was an eagerly awaited end to a very emotionally stressful two weeks. To finally be able to hold Keenan in my arms was definitely a most satisfying reward for all the tears and heartache felt over the last two weeks. It took everything in me over the two weeks not to drive down to Toronto, but I knew I was needed here, not down there. Colin and Crystal already had tons of family down there. We kept things in order up here.

When Keenan came home, he was sitting in his carseat, and we were looking at him. It was so great to finally see him without tubes, or lights on him. He was stirring a bit, and when I heard him make his baby sounds, and watched him stretch I almost started crying. For a while it didn't look like we'd ever see or hear that happen, but there he was. A healthy, regular baby doing everything babies are supposed to. Colin picked him up and it was such an amazing moment to witness. After everything Colin and Crystal had to go through to get Keenan, to see Colin holding him just finished everything. That one gesture said so many things....Keenan isn't going anywhere. Daddy's going to be there through everything.

So, do I believe in miracles? You bet! We were told that Keenan shouldn't have been able to bounce back. At first we were told the brain damage would be too severe and he'd be in a 100% vegetative state, and yet, here he is. Moving, gurgling, stretching, doing everything babies should. This baby has the biggest circle of love and positive thought around him. All the white light, prayers, and positive thoughts helped make a miracle happen.

My sincerest thanks, from the very depths of my soul, go out to everyone who sent out their well wishes, prayers, love, positive thoughts, and white light to a little baby who was in desperate need. He's doing great, and living proof that miracles really do happen.

Sara
-Who's blown away by what a group of people from different religions and backgrounds can accomplish when they put their beliefs together for a greater good.

Just a quick update...

2006-03-17T07:42:00.001-05:00

Keenan will be coming home at the earliest this Saturday, and at the latest next Wednesday!! YAY!! The little guy is going to be okay! He still has to go through physiotherapy once he gets home because he hasn't been moving much, but he hasn't been able to!! But Colin and Crystal will have him up and motoring and doing baby things in no time at all! I can't wait to see him!!

In other news, my super-duper fiance proposed to me yesterday. He was waiting to do an official proposal even though we were actually engaged already. We ordered the ring 2 weeks ago, and he wouldn't let me have it until he could propose properly. Well, it just so happened that I forgot something at home that I needed at work. I called Matt to ask him to bring it to me on my lunch, to be there for 1:00. So, 1:00 came, Matt showed up, and then there were my parents. I was talking with them, and I turn around to talk to Matt and he says asks me if I want to get married hehehe. I look, and he has the ring! My face lit up, grin from ear to ear, and of course I said yes lol. Matt said it worked out perfectly that my parents were still here too, because he wanted them there. All the girls at work thought it was the most romantic thing lol. They all think he's just the sweetest hehe.

Well, that's all for an update for now. Matt and I are heading to Powassan for the weekend to spend time with his parents. I'm looking forward to it. We haven't been there in a long time, it'll be nice.

Enjoy your weekend!

What A Wonderful Week This Has Been....

2006-03-11T14:30:00.000-05:00

At least, maybe....kind of??? To be honest it was basically a very stressful week, but for some reason I'm flying high today. After the Little Man, Keenan was born on Wednesday evening, things turned upside down. They found a swelling and bleeding into his brain, which was putting pressure on his brain and causing seizures. I found this out at 7:104am, just before heading to work. I get off the phone with my brother promising not to tell my parents, just to tell them to get to the hospital ASAP. I found it rather challenging to keep the tears away, and failed miserably. After throwing my parents into a panic they zoom off to the hospital and I call work to take a day off. It was very last minute but a family emergency is more important than a $10 an hour job. Off to the hospital we go. We found out Keenan can't be flown out to Toronto until Friday. Brief moment of panic until the doc assures us that an extra day or two won't hurt him, that all of his vitals are fine.

Well, to skip the rest of the day, we move to Friday. I have to go back to work, the whole needing to make money thing. That and there really wasn't anything I could do family-wise because everyone was leaving for Toronto after Keenan. Matt and I volunteer to cat-sit for Colin and Crystal. They say we can do our laundry, and enjoy the satellite. SCORE! Anyway, I call my parents this morning to learn the update and find out that Keenan is doing really well. His jaundice is basically gone, he's off the respirator, and the Doctors are slowly starting to ween him off the drugs and get him out from under all the sedation. He was supposed to undergo an MRI last night, but we don't know the results yet. My parents made me feel a lot better by telling me that the swelling seems to have gone down a bit and that he hadn't had one seizure since he got to Toronto. So, please keep sending positive energy his way! I have to come up with a great nickname for him because of his strength through all this. :o) He's already an amazing little man.

In honour of his strength and of course Matt and I being the coolest aunt and uncle ever, we went and spoiled my little man rotten today!! We bought a stellar collapsible basket and then bought tons of stuff to put in it. We gotthe cutest set of 3 sleepers, the most adorable little short set for summer, face cloths, bibs, adorable little farm animal socks, a stuffed pig named Wilbur, a towel, and safety stuff like locks for cupboards and plug covers, and a cute padded snuggle picture book. I'm going to have it all packed and ready and set in the nursery for his return.

I can't wait for him to come home. After my mom was talking about him, he's able to open his eyes now, you can see his beautiful brown eyes, and he's looking a lot more healthy with his natural colour coming through. I can't wait until he's strong enough to come home so I can finally snuggle him.

Dum spiro, spero
"While I breath, I hope"....sending my energy your way little guy. Come home quickly!

Love and hugs
Auntie Sara

Welcome Little One....

2006-03-08T21:11:00.000-05:00

I'd like to announce that Keenan Anderson Toulouse-Janssen was born today, March 8, 2006 at 7:24pm. Proud parents, Colin and Crystal are thrilled. After a long and emotional labour, baby arrived by c-section. Both mommy and baby are well. I'm so excited I'm an aunt!! My parents were just beaming! News has spread quickly! I only got to see Keenan for a few seconds before he was taken to recovery, but I'll post pictures as soon as I have some. :o)

Okay...this is overkill....

2006-03-05T13:32:00.000-05:00

I decided to do some research on what exactly is in the Oscar Gift Bag this year. I'm always curious as to what companies are giving away to celebrities as "consolation" prizes, and congratulatory items...even though they're the last people on the planet who need "freebies". Well, much to my disgust, I found a rather extensive list...are you ready to vomit profusely onto your keyboard?

a Victoria's Secret jewelled pink bra-and-panty set with a detachable diamond brooch, fragrances, and other items worth $7,000 for Best Actress nominees

a coupon for laser eye surgery

gold accented Havaianas flip flops

Manolo Blahnik leather "My Shoes for the Weekend" bag, with pouches sized perfectly for three pairs of Manolos. It comes with matching suede sandals

Hermes cashmere shawl/blanket

La Grande Dame Veuve Cliquot champagne

pair of Baccarat crystal earrings or crystal lighter, Baccarat champagne flutes

Estee Lauder products, including a “crystal glow” sugar rub and a “calming body spray", plus spa treatments for recipient and a guest

round-trip tickets to anywhere Song Airways flies

Crest Whitening Expressions toothpaste

Kiehl's gift set, value $500

"the ultimate HDTV package": VOOM high-definition satellite and 12 months of programming service as well as a 43-inch Samsung DLP HDTV. Value: $6,000

Peacock Black Pearl Collection gift set including an 18-inch necklace, seven-inch bracelet, and stud earrings, from PearlParadise.com.

“Canadian Adventure” package:-a one-night stay at Whistler Platinum-a day of skiing on Whistler Blackcomb-helicopter transfer between Vancouver and Whistler-private tour of Canada's premier family-owned winery, Mission Hill Family Estate-three nights at Opus Hotel in Yaletown, Vancouver-dinner at Elixir restaurant-air tour of Vancouver

DuWop cosmetics in a custom-designed gold and silver striped tube along with a yoga mat and yoga pants

a private, $1,500 steak dinner at Morton's

$500 Krups espresso machine

A pair of round-trip business-class tickets on Air New Zealand from L.A. to Auckland

5-night stay at New Zealand's Treetops Lodge & Estate in secluded Rotorua, New Zealand (above airfare may be used separately)

Two nights in a suite at The Carlyle HotelSeaDream

seven-day cruise for two to the Mediterranean or CaribbeanPollaro Custom Furniture

$5,000 gift certificateChristina Oxenberg Knitwear neck scarf or shawl

French perfume bottled in Baccarat crystal emblazoned with the nominee's moniker

Charles Worthington shampoo gift pack ("made-in-Wales with a cool £4,295 price tag")

gift certificate for a free TAZ I from Tight Systems,

a personal video and media player

GINGI skincare products

Motorola is giving out cell phones, not yet available to the public. The V600 cell phone, equipped with an activated SIM card. It comes in a custom-made box, engraved with the recipient's name, in the shape of an old-time film camera that features an audio snippet of Mel Torme's classic rendition of "You Oughta Be in Pictures."

Kyocera 7135 Smartphone with the Sherwood Personal Security Mobile Security Protection package includedPCS Vision Video Phone VM4050 by Toshiba, courtesy of Sprint, personalized with an engraved monogram and ringtones and screensavers from the appropriate movie

Personalized Anastasia diamond tweezers with an 18kt white gold chain and heart-shaped diamond (for Best Actress nominees, value $2,000)

a limited edition tin of Altoids mints, encrusted with crystals. Each tin takes up to 10 hours to create.

Nyakio’s African black tea candle

Jelly Bag

$750 piece from the new Talismania collection, the new jewelry line from porcelain sculptors

LladroTina Earnshaw Makeup set

chocolate-covered strawberries from Brymm Berries in Houston, TX

A glass ornament in the shape of a shopping bag with the Oscar logo, handcrafted in Europe, designed by Lisa Kelechava of Tennessee...and something made by some guy in Wisconsin.

*hands you a bucket and allows you to spew vilgar language about how disgusting people can really be* Overly extravagant, don't you think??

Sara
-Who really is afraid that the world and the humanity contained within, is beyond all hope.

Alien Invasion...George Bush Style...

2006-03-04T08:10:00.000-05:00

I had the oddest dream last night! (Yes, it was even worse than the Willis Adventure!) Matt, Karla and myself were camping just outside of a city (no city I recognize at all). We were laying outside the tents looking at the sky. Matt had fallen asleep, as did Karla. I kept watching the sky and saw some interesting flashes that I thought were lightening. I kept watching, waiting for the oncoming storm. I could hear very faint rumbling sounds. Suddenly it changed to an interesting yellowy-orange colour and it started dancing across the sky. More colours were joining in, and soon it was an impressive display of colour dancing across the sky and through the clouds. I thought it was the most incredible display of Northern Lights so I promptly woke up Matt so he could watch it. I could the rumbling getting louder, accompanied by a screeching sound. I was dazzled by what I was seeing and hearing. Matt woke up and was watching with me. We watched for about 30 seconds when we suddenly felt the earth shake and a loud booming sound, not an explosion but definitely something high-impact. Suddenly about 500 feet beside us we watch as a missle comes dropping from the sky and lands, imbedding itself into the ground. Instant panic hits and we start running into the city. It's mass panic as people in the streets are running everywhere, screaming, looting, and all around hysteria. Suddenly all the tvs turn on and focus on the strangest looking being.

Our initial reaction when the bombing first began was that Baby Bush was finally taking his hostility out on Canada (despite that his mirror image just got elected as our leader!). The being started to speak on the television and announced that the invasion had begun. The missiles that had just been imbedded in the ground were set on timers and were also controlled by a remote detonator. If we didn't comply with their rules, or live inside their means random missiles would explode until all earthly beings had conformed. A frightening thought indeed.

For some reason life returned to normal, except the fear level was much higher. Everyday the news was reporting missles exploding in different countries around the world. It had a very Big Brother feel to it. Fear that every action you make, or word you utter will bring down a wrath and fury most feared. I was walking around town with Matt, and my mom and dad, heading towards a restaurant when an explosion knocked us down and shook the city. We saw a large factory down by the water explode, water shooting up into the air, the building and the people around it disappearing into the crater created by the explosion. Everyone starts running again, and that's when I woke up. Definitely a very odd, and fear inspiring dream.

Sunny-side up!

2006-03-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm not sure when it happened or how, but I realized yesterday that I'm the happiest I've been in a long time and am feeling fantastic. Perhaps it's the recent string of sunny weather and the melting snow. Perhaps it's because Matt got his job with the Airport Security. Perhaps it's because he got his first Employment Insurance cheque and we're covered until he can start his job with the airport. Perhaps it's the fact that I'm off the pill and I don't feel like the world is ending and the need to cry about it. Perhaps it's because I have a little niece or nephew on the way any day now. Perhaps it's because we're finally catching a tiny financial windfall so we can pay off furniture, buy a ring, and pay for wedding things.

Perhaps it's because I'm finally feeling healthier. I went to the Dr. on Thursday and told him I have another sinus infection. After his initial facial reaction of "You're Dr. Who-by-the-way?"....he asks me a barrage of questions to which I promptly reply "Green, yellow AND browny boogers, left eye is about to escape the confines of my socket and splat across the room, I'm coughing up delightfully disgusting "stuff", second one in a month and a half, childcare is hazardous to my health". He writes the script, tells me if I get another one too soon or this one doesn't leave I need x-rays. I take my list of drugs and I'm gone. $100 later and two days of taking meds and I already feel fantastic lol.

Anyway, whatever it is that's making me feel fantastic I'll keep it thank you very much. Thank you universal energies, and keep up the good work. Perhaps the hard times have finally ended, or at least on their way out.

My little taste of spring...

2006-03-01T22:23:00.000-05:00

Since it's March 1st, I'm posting my own personal little taste of spring. This is a picture of the crocuses I currently have blooming in my living room. It's right next to the pot of tulips that should be blooming in the next week or so!

Sara
- Who's trying to remember that we're one day closer to spring.

On The Topic of Kleenex...

2006-03-01T18:17:00.000-05:00

Isn't it funny how companies advertise their kleenex as being oh-so-soft, but in reality it's as rough as sandpaper? The same applies to toilet paper! You try to save a buck by buying less expensive TP and it's rough rough rough!!.....On the other hand there can also be the other problem of being entirely too soft. I'm not personally thrilled about the idea of "cleaning" with something that feels rather like a cloud...I don't feel all that clean lol. Just a thought. DON'T BUY CHARMIN'....it's too soft. There, I've said my piece lol. On to more important things.

While searching for a picture of a kleenex box I came across this picture:

I'd like to state for the record that this is NOT what I do with my kleenex lol. I don't need any help in that department, thank you very much. This just struck me as funny. Much like today's garfield was HILARIOUS! It actually had Matt laughing, and he doesn't laugh at Garfield a lot lol. I'll post it, just for a Wednesday evening giggle! Hope you enjoy it!

Sara

-Who had a great day for a change! Let's hope March brings better things!

Random Thought....

2006-03-01T18:14:00.000-05:00

I actually own Kleenex brand kleenex. This is the first time ever I think. I kind of like it...it's all soft and stuff. Very nice on sensitive noses hehe.

Sara
-Who thinks it's about time her sniffles go away.

My New Toy

2006-02-26T16:44:00.000-05:00

Well, Matt and I joined the gym this week, and I love it. I didn't think I missed working out, but apparently I did lol. My favourite thing to do is workout on the Eliptical, or Cross-Trainer. It's so much fun hehe. Although, not so much fun if you're not listening to music. You notice the time drag on a lot more lol. They have the radio playing but it's so quiet, and the radio pretty much sucks around here lately. Too much bad 80's rock...not my bag baby. Anyway, Matt and I have an mp3 player, but technically it's his, so I feel bad asking if I can use it lol. I don't want him getting bored either. Well, he let me use it on Saturday for my running, and the time flew by so fast! It makes it much more enjoyable. I had been thinking about buying my own mp3 player up to that point but I hadn't completely decided. Well, that solidified my decision. I was on the hunt from that moment on. I hit Future Shop this morning and found the one I wanted.

It's an MPIO 555 512MB. I looked at a 1G one, but I don't need one that big lol. It's really not a huge deal to delete songs and reload. It's so simple stupid to use that I can change my music whenever I want. I'm very anti-iPod, so that wasn't even a consideration for me. And the Future Shop guy agreed with me. The sales guy was actually very helpful! He asked me what I wanted it for, and he helped me pick one based on what I needed it for. He didn't steer me towards the most expensive, and he told me which ones to avoid. He was very good at his job lol. I didn't mind giving him his commission lol. So yeah, that's my new toy! Now I can't wait to hit the gym again!

My other favourite part of going to the gym? I've become quite keen on lifting weights lol. It's kind of fun, in a painful sort of way!! And the swimming at the end of my workout is like the triple-decker chocolate sundae on a hot summer day. It's my little reward for doing such a good job being good!!

Sara
-Who almost wants to go workout again...too bad her arms are so sore lol.

Songs of the moment...

2006-02-25T16:15:00.000-05:00

Well, I went to see Curious George this week. It was outstanding, for a children's movie. They were so true to the original Curious George stories. They caputred the spirit of that adorable little monkey in the most amazing way. Even though the movie is computer animated, it's done in a classical animation style, and for me, that's key. I'm getting tired of the computer generated characters, it's nice to see the classical-style coming back. (Even if it is still done with computers).

Anyways, aside from the movie being the most adorable movie I've seen in my life, the soundtrack is too fabulous for words. LOL Okay, besides the fact that it's done by Jack Johnson and I'm a huge fan, for a children's CD it's phenomenal. There are only a couple of songs that are anywhere near "child-like". There are 5 songs in particular that I just can't stop listening to. They are as follows (and I'll post the lyrics to the one that is so simple and yet says so much):

1) Upside Down
2) Talk of the Town
3) Jungle Gym
4) Wrong Turn
5) With My Own Two Hands (with Ben Harper)

With My Own Two Hands

I can change the world
With my own two hands
Make it a better place
With my own two hands
Make it a kinder place
With my own two hands
With my own
With my own two hands

I can make peace on earth
With my own two hands
I can clean up the earth
With my own two hands
I can reach out to you
With my own two hands
With my own
With my own two hands

I’m gonna make it a brighter place
With my own two hands
I’m gonna make it a safer place
With my own two hands
I’m gonna help the human race
With my own two hands
With my own
With my own two hands

I can hold you
In my own two hands
I can comfort you
With my own two hands
But you got to use
Use your own two hands
Use your own
Use your own two hands
With our own
With our own two hands
With our own
With our own two hands
With my own
With my own two hands

It's such a simple song, but the style of the song and the combination of Jack Johnson's and Ben Harper's voices makes the song come alive.

Change of Plans?

2006-02-25T08:30:00.000-05:00

Well, after talking to my mom and hearing all about how inexpensive their upcoming trip to Ireland is going to be, Matt and I are suddenly rethinking our honeymoon trip to Hawaii. We don't deny it would be fantastic to see Hawaii, but in reality we agree that financially we don't think we can pull it off. It's been a concern of ours since we decided that's where we'd like to go. We were talking about it last night, and just the flights alone to Hawaii are going to cost us a fortune, whereas flights to Ireland, for two return flights, would only cost us $1000 plus taxes and airport fees, etc. My mom said that her and my dad are getting their tickets for $1304 and some change. TOTAL...isn't that crazy?! Right now the cheapest flight I can find to Hawaii is $800 return per person. That's almost double what my parents are paying lol. It's certainly something to think about.

Other than the cost of the flight, my parents are renting the cutest little cottage in Ireland for 2 weeks, and it's only costing them just under $700! A COTTAGE!! Matt and I would be staying in a hotel room paying over at least $100 a night guaranteed it will be more, and we wouldn't be getting that much room, plus a yard, patio, incredible view of the Irish landscape. This is starting to sound better and better right? But wait, there's more!

My parents are also renting a car for the two weeks they're there. It's only going to cost them just over $400 for the whole two weeks, and they get unlimited kilometers! A Ccr rental isn't even something that Matt and I have taken into consideration for our trip yet. There are obviously different parts of Hawaii we'd like to see, and we'd like to see them on our own, not part of a tourist bus or anything. So there's another cost we hadn't thought about.

My mom sent me her itinerary and at first I didn't really pay close attention. I looked at it and got very excited for them, but it didn't occur to me just how inexpensive this trip really is in the grand scheme of things. Where our trip to Hawaii is going to cost us at least $3500 if not more and that doesn't include any sightseeing or touristy stuff, their trip to Ireland is going to cost them $2500 and they get to tour a large part of the island in that two weeks! And here's something else for us to consider. When we go, we're likely not going for two weeks, we only plan on going for a week or maybe 9 or 10 days max. So that brings our cost down even lower. This itinerary my mom planned even works perfectly for us for cost because we'll be travelling at almost exactly the same time of year.

I think that Matt and I are definitely convinced that we'll go to Ireland instead. It's a place I've always been fascinated with and looking at pictures of it just always makes me feel so content and at peace. You wouldn't be able to wipe the smile from my face if I could actually go and see it. That's why I'm so excited for my mom!! She's wanted to see Ireland since she was a teenager but has never had the means or the time to do so. Now she does, so her and my dad are already paying for stuff and they're finally doing it! I can't wait for them to go, and I'm so thrilled for them!!! I can't wait to see all the pictures they take!

Sara
-Who's pretty sure Ireland will be the honeymoon destination.

Emerging from the ever growing mountains of snow....

2006-02-24T21:40:00.000-05:00

Okay, so it WON'T STOP SNOWING!!!! I mean, really I have no right to complain. The first two months of winter were pretty good. We had really mild temperatures, it even rained some days, and we got very little snow. Even in January we managed to avoid the usual deep freeze we get. Well, apparently Mother Nature had a rude awakening prepared for us for February lol. In the last month we have gotten over 100cm of snow....yup, you read that right...over 1 M OF SNOW!!! And it shows no signs of stopping. It's currently snowing, as I type this out! The picture to your right is me standing beside a snow bank outside our building after one of the storms this month. Now, we've gotten about another 30 - 40 cm of snow since this picture was taken. Isn't that sick!? And we haven't even hit March yet!

Now, I have a tiny little bone to pick with Mother Nature. All winter I've managed to keep my dislike for winter to a bare minumum because it really hadn't been that bad. It was a tolerable amount of snow, a few nostril-sticking cold days here or there, but nothing I couldn't handle. February has been the month from frosty hell!!! I kid you not. There have been mornings where it was -33 degrees celsius BEFORE the windchill. Okay...that's the temperature issue taken care of. Now the snow issue. It can't come in small doses, no NO, that would be asking to much lol. Mother Nature feels compelled to hit us with copious amounts in the matter of 3 storms, strategically placed throughout the month. (Mostly on weekends, although the last one was a whopper last night). At the daycare I work at, the kids can't play at the play structure because there's too much snow. The snow is piled up almost as high as the fence. When you're walking on the snow you're almost completely level with the top the fence. And we're supposed to get about 20 more cm before the end of the weekend, 10 of which is supposed to fall tonight. I don't thinkI can say this enough, I'M SICK OF WINTER!! And this is the time of year when people are all starting to suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, so people are grumpy and moody and overall real joys to be around...myself included lol. When I see it snowing outside I just want to scream, and then I want to scream even louder when I take the car out because you can't see over the 8 - 10 foot snowbanks. And don't even get me STARTED on the stupid drivers in the city, who's brains (if they have any at all) seem to go to mush or freeze the second snow starts to fall. LOL Ahh the joys of living in Northern Ontario, where it's a miracle that there's any spring at all.

On that note, I bought myself a delightful little pot of Crocuses from the CNIB to put in my patio door. They're already starting to bloom. It's my little taste of spring to tide me over until the snow leaves. Which won't be for a while yet. *sighs* BUT, I keep myself semi-sane by reminding myself on a regular basis that with each day that passes we're one day closer to spring. :o) Whenever that might be lol.

Sara
-Who's trying to remember what it's like to go outside and not have her nostrils instantly freeze together.

Amelia's Adventure With Dust Bunnies

2006-02-21T22:50:00.000-05:00

Amelia’s Adventure With Dust Bunnies

Amelia is a little girl with an active imagination. Amelia’s had adventures in the Arctic, in the rainforest, even with a dragon, but today Amelia isn’t feeling very adventurous. Today Amelia has to clean her room!

Amelia was looking forward to a Saturday morning of cartoons, sugary cereal, and playing outside. Amelia’s mom had other plans. Amelia’s mom said Amelia’s room was a pigsty and must be cleaned before she could do anything else. Amelia huffed while she sat in her room thinking that it didn’t look much like a pigsty at all. So what if there were socks all over the floor, pajamas hanging from her mirror and cheesie bags under the bed. Amelia liked it that way! But Amelia decided to clean it up if it meant she could go outside!

Amelia picked up a cheesie bag that was half under the bed. She tugged on it but couldn’t get it out. It must have been stuck on something. Amelia wondered what it could be. Maybe it was one of those Dust Bunnies her mom was always talking about. Amelia closed her eyes for a second to imagine what they looked like.

Suddenly, the room started spinning and twirling and spinning some more! When Amelia opened her eyes she was under her bed, except she was so little! Her bed looked huge!
As Amelia looked around she couldn’t believe her eyes! There was her favourite pair of slippers! There was the sucker she lost two weeks before! Amelia saw all sorts of stuff she thought she had lost forever! As Amelia looked around some more she heard a quiet snickering in the background.
Snicker, snicker.
Snort.
Chortle.

Amelia squinted and looked into the dark corners. She thought she could see something moving…
Snicker, snicker.
"Ow! Don’t ye be pushin’!"
"I wasna pushin’! Stop yer yammerin’! She’ll ‘eer ya!"

Amelia took a step closer and listened for a moment.
"Hello?"
No answer.
"Who’s there?"
Still no answer.
"I can hear you, you know." Finally Amelia walked over to the dark corner. She saw a fluffy bunny that looked like it needed a bath…badly. It’s back was turned and it was facing a group of similarly dirty bunnies who were watching Amelia approach with wide eyes.

Amelia tapped the bunny on the shoulder. The bunny screamed, jumped, and turned around armed with one of Amelia’s dirty socks.
"Argh, why ye be doin’ that, lass? Ye almost scared the life outta me!"
"Sorry," said Amelia, "but I wanted to ask you who you were, and what you’re doing under my bed."
"Oh, we’re Dust Bunnies ‘o course! We live under all beds, or at least the dirty ones."
"Oh. But, how - ?"
"How do we get here? We move in ‘o course. Aye, we found this spot advertised in a paper." The Head Bunny pulled out a tattered newspaper ad and cleared his throat. "‘Nice, messy, very dusty and dirty. Cheesie eater, and sucker licker. Sock Monster comes free ‘o charge.’ Nice spot ye ‘ave ‘here!"

Amelia looked around "Sock Monster?"
"Oh, aye," replied the Head Bunny, "That there sock monster loves ter eat yer dirty socks. Sometimes 'e just collects 'em and sleeps in 'em, but mostly 'e likes ter eat 'em."
"But where is he?" asked Amelia.

The Head Bunny pointed to the other dark corner on the other side of the bed. Amelia squinted and took a close look. She saw something move and then step into the light. The Sock Monster was huge! As far as Sock Monsters were concerned. It looked somewhat like an elephant, but with short little ears. He definitely had the long trunk though. Amelia couldn't help but laugh a little at the pile of socks behind the Sock Monster.

"A sock monster, huh? I guess that's why I have so many mismatched socks."
"Yep," replied the Head Bunny, "The sock monster doesna really like ter eat more than one type 'o sock. He prefers a variety, he does." The Sock Monster nodded in agreement and wandered back into the dark corner.

Amelia watched the Sock Monster leave. She was stunned! Sock Monsters were real? Never mind that, Dust Bunnies were real! And they liked dirty rooms! But she had to clean her room.
"I’m sorry, but my mom said I have to clean my room"
"Aye, so clean. We’re alright under ‘ere."
"But, I have to clean under here too."
The Dust Bunnies all stopped. They’re ears fell, their whiskers twitched, and their eyes started to well up with tears.

"B-but ye canna clean ‘ere! Tis our home! There must be another way!"
Amelia was at a loss. How could she clean but still let the Dust Bunnies keep their home? They were kind of cute in a very filthy sort of way. And they did do a good job of eating her cheesie crumbs. Then suddenly Amelia had an idea.

She picked up a dirty sock and looked at the Bunnies.
"I have to clean my room, my mom said so. But I think I can help you stay here."
"Oh, aye? We’re listenin’."
"Well, I eat cheesies a lot, which you know. And I have a lot of mismatched socks -."
"Tha’s our sock monster. Loves yer dirty socks."
"Yeah, you mentioned that. Either way, he can't have the matching pairs, he can only have my mismatched ones. I need the good ones back."

Amelia heard a sigh from the other dark corner. After a few seconds it was raining socks. The Sock Monster was throwing all of Amelia's matching pairs of socks back at her.
Amelia picked up a sock, "Anyway, if you let me clean up, I promise I’ll leave all the dirt that’s in this dark corner. That way you can stay but my room still looks clean."
"Do ye promise to still eat yer cheesie things?" asked the Head Bunny.
"Of course, if you’ll help me clean," agreed Amelia.
The Dust Bunnies huddled together. As they huddled their ears rubbed together and created a huge cloud of dust. Finally the Head Bunny turned around.

"Okay. We agree to yer terms and we’ll help ye clean on one condition. We want two dark corners. For our Sock Monster 'o course."
Amelia smiled and picked up another sock. "Agreed. Now help me collect these socks."
Amelia and the Dust Bunnies worked together to clean. Amelia noticed the Dust Bunnies seemed to make her socks dirtier than they already were, but they were just going to get washed anyway. Eventually they got her room clean. That is, all except for two dark corners under her bed.

As Amelia picked up the last sock she looked at the Dust Bunnies. Their dark corners looked full of a lot more dirt than before they started cleaning. Amelia was going to say something but decided not to. At least her room still looked clean.

"Thank you, Dust Bunnies. You were a big help." Amelia smiled as she shook their hands. Amelia blew dust off her hands and looked at the Bunnies. "I have a gift for you." Amelia grabbed two mismatched socks and handed them to the Head Bunny. "I think you can use these more than me." The Head Bunny smiled and tossed the mismatched socks over to the Sock Monster.
"He gets right snarky if he doesna get enough socks ter eat."

Amelia smiled, and said thank you again. The Dust Bunnies cheered. As they cheered a huge puff of dust surrounded Amelia. Amelia closed her eyes and started coughing. As soon as she closed her eyes the room started spinning. Suddenly, Amelia opened her eyes and she was back sitting in the middle of her room, except now her room was clean! Amelia couldn’t help but start laughing.

Amelia’s mom heard the laughing and opened the door.
"What’s so funny, Amelia?"
"The Dust Bunnies helped me clean my room, mom. They promised to help if I kept two corners under my bed dirty for them. Once we were done I gave them two socks to give to the Sock Monster they have."
Amelia’s mom gave Amelia a funny look and shook her head, "You have an active imagination, sweetheart. How about some lunch?"

As Amelia was getting up from the floor there was a bumping and thumping sound under the bed, then a puff of dust billowed out from under it. Amelia’s mom looked from Amelia to the bed, to Amelia again.
"But -."
Amelia took her mom’s hand and lead her out of the room.
"Just an active imagination, mom. Let’s go have lunch."

The End.

Copyright Sara Janssen. February 2006. All Rights Reserved.

Google Comes Through!

2006-02-21T17:38:00.000-05:00

Well, whoever said that Google was a waste of time was WRONG!! (Although I don't think anyone has ever said that! lol). Just for kicks this weekend I was searching names of people in my family and different friends. For some reason I decided to search the name of an old friend of mine from Sault Ste. Marie. Low and behold something came up! Only one google image came up with her name, and there was an email address as well. I wasn't going to email her, but I just couldn't resist. There was so way that I could do that search, find a picture (that looked so much like her it was scary!), and NOT email her. I'd constantly be wondering if it was her. So, I bit the bullet and fired off an email. Well, turns out it was her after all!! Now we're exchanging pictures and emails and catching up on all that lost time!

After my family moved from the Soo back in 1990, we rarely had a chance to talk to Berina and her family. We saw them a few times when we would be in the city, but eventually the ties were cut off and we lost contact. I never stopped thinking about them and what they were doing, but I didn't know how to find them. Well, Google showed me the way lol. Who'd have guessed?? So, it's fantastic to finally be able to talk to her after all this time. So much has happened in both our lives since the last time we spoke that it's going to take a long time to catch up, but it'll be a lot of fun :o)!! We're both very excited, and so's my mom!!!

On another note, today at work couldn't have been better! We had the municipal "inspector" there for a better part of the day watching our activities, routine, and just analyzing everything. I came into work at shortly after 8, not unlike what I normally do. I came in and saw that the kids were having a bit of a hard time today, and so were Cynthia and Luba (my co-workers). I decided to sit down with the kids and help out while my co-workers got the rest of the kids together. Apparently this really impressed the inspector. She wasn't aware that I wasn't supposed to start until 8:30, so when she mentioned me to my boss, my boss told her I wasn't actually supposed to start until a little later. Well, like I've said, the inspector was really impressed and so was my boss! So much so that even though I only worked an extra 10 or 15 minutes, she told me to claim an extra half hour lol. My supervisor came and told me all this while I was getting my kids ready to go outside. She also told me that the inspector was impressed with my abilities with the kids. She said that she could tell I had good control over them, and I did an excellent job.

Later in the day while I was on my lunch the inspector decided she had everything she needed and that she was going to leave. She got all the teachers together to compliment us in a job well done. She told us how much she enjoyed coming to centres where she got to give the workers good news. She told Cynthia and I how great a job we did, everything we did right, and added that she could tell we were naturals in the field and that we'd go a long way. We were both on cloud nine! But wait, it gets better!!!

After lunch we had a short 5 minute staff meeting. Nita (my boss) filled us in on the only three things that we needed to work on. In the grand scheme they were very insignificant so we weren't worried about them at all. Nita was very proud of the hard work we did. Then she revealed the REALLY good news. She told us that we would be receiving bonuses sometime in May. She explained that the government was giving extra money to non-profit daycares to compensate the workers. Well, normally we wouldn't be eligible because we're a "for-profit" daycare. But, our owner, Nita's husband, went to council and fought for us. He defended his position by saying that even though we're a for-profit daycare, we still deserve to be recognized for all the hardwork we do. Well, after a good deal of fighting he won!! Nita says they're not sure how much they're being given yet, but that once her husband has all the details worked out, we'll be receiving our bonuses, and that it should be sometime in May. Needless to say we were all very excited! Now there's one problem...there's a job posting on Job Bank for a fulltime daycare position at Laurentian Childcare (my old university).....to apply or not apply?? That is the question....

What a Day....

2006-02-17T23:37:00.000-05:00

I thought this day was going to be fantastic! I got to work and we had so few kids because of the huge snow storm last night. It was going to be a really easy day, and I was right. So easy in fact that I got to go home early. I called Matt to let him know, because we were going home to Elliot for the weekend. I was thrilled. We could leave in the daylight and get to Elliot at a decent time. Apparently Fate had other ideas. We were driving down Douglas St on our way out of the city when a cab blatantly cut us off and rear-ended the vehicle in front of him. Matt stopped for obvious reasons (ie: an accident lol) We just finished commenting on that fender bender and coming to a stop when WHAM....we got rear-ended. I kid you not. We got out to see the damage and it wasn't huge, but it was significant enough that we need to get repairs. It turned out that the guy broke our brake light panel, right in the middle. Once we exchanged insurance information with the guy I called my dad because he has amazing resources lol. My dad managed to track down a used rear brake light panel and a guy who would install it for us, all for just $75 plus labour. Then my dad said that he wanted to pay for it. We just breathed a huge sigh of relief. Even if my dad hadn't offered to pay for it we'd have been able to afford it. Admittedly it would have been a thorn in our side, but we could have managed. So that's been our day! However, despite everything that happened I'm still in a fantastic mood. It must have something to do with being home lol. Matt and I were so excited to leave Sudbury for the weekend. We just needed time away. I also got some more good news this week. I got approved for my interest relief application for my student loans, so I'm able to get 6 months of no payments and interest relief. The government will cover my interest payments for those 6 months. I was so excited. That saves us $300 a month. Now we're just waiting to hear if Matt's been approved.

So, now that I'm at home I'm happy. I'm tired but I'm happy hehe. Here's to a good weekend, and hopefully this is the last shocker Fate has in store for us.

Bruce Willis???

2006-02-16T07:32:00.000-05:00

So what does it mean when you dream about Bruce Willis!? lol I had the most off the wall early-morning dream this morning. Me and my parents and my grandma and grandpa were hungry, and we went to go fo dinner. When we got to the "restaurant" it was Bruce Willis' house. EXCEPT his house was my grandparents' cottage with a few minor changes. Bruce invited us into his place for dinner and said we could have anything we wanted, but all he had was different seafood. I remember thinking Matt would have been thrilled, but I wasn't too excited. As we were walking up the boat launch (which isn't part of the old cottage) we got swarmed by bees. My grandpa got stung, we all ran into the cottage. Bruce said that if anyone's allergic there's stuff in the bathroom medicine cabinet to help. My grandps went into the bathroom (Mom, is he allergic???) and came out after a few minutes. I killed a half-dead hornet on the floor with Bruce's slipper. Just after I did that this whole huge Monty Python-style musical started!! I kid you not! There were women sitting on men's shoulders, and they were singing about wanting to be an egg, and fertilizers, etc. It was exceptionally dirty in a very innocent way lol. After the little diddy was over, my grandma was standing behind me, touched my shoulder and said that she had to use the bathroom. She goes into the bathroom, closes the door except I can see her from the knee down. And then I woke up.

LOL Man, dreams sure are interesting. They're good for a laugh if nothing else!!

Well, now don't I feel silly...

2006-02-15T22:09:00.000-05:00

So after all my moaning and groaning and pissing and whining I decided to just have a quiet evening. I ran myself a nice bath, used some rose scented bath beads, Matt brought me my cd player and a relaxation CD, and I just relaxed in the bath for about half an hour. I got out, crawled into my jammies, lit some candles, made a chamomile tea and laid on the bed and watched tv for a little while. Matt came after a little while and watched tv with me, and low and behold I feel better. I don't feel excited or anything, but at least I don't feel so "Doom and Gloom" anymore. I don't deny that I'd still love to go home for the weekend, but I'll try not to let that bother me too much. And as far as Matt's employment situation goes, well there isn't much I can do about that except take things as they come and just support him every step of the way. It's hard enough on him not having a job, he doesn't need me being all down and depressed all the time because we can't find him a job. I need to focus more on getting by than on how hard it's going to be. I just have to learn to accept the fact that life sucks sometimes, and I just have to tough out the hard times. (Although the hard times can stop anytime now lol *nudges the universe in the ribs a little*).

*Imagining herself and Matt on a beach in Hawaii - ahhhhh won't it be grand??*

Moms

2006-02-15T18:07:00.000-05:00

Life has been getting me down lately. It just seems like one giant struggle. And through all of that I have Matt keeping me propped up. I've been sick, and we've been trying to keep our heads above water, and all our hard work is finally paying off. Matt doesn't have a job yet, but at least we've managed to meet our obligations this month with a little btit of a buffer left. Yet I still feel the need to go home. It seems completely illogical, and I know that I can't really justify it, but I want to go home.

When life gets me down like this, it's mom that makes me feel better. Just the sound of her voice makes my world fall back into place. She just brings everything into focus. She's my sounding board and my advisor. She's able to think of things that I'm not because I'm too involved in the situation. In many ways my mom's my best friend. It's amazing the insight moms can give when it seems like there's no way out, no way to fix things. When I walk into my parents house it just feels like peace. It's so calm, and so peaceful. A wave of tranquility passes over me, and for a few days I forget about life and how crappy it is, and just enjoy the company of Matt and my family. I almost always get to see my grandpa, and of course there's always the snuggles with my Kirby-san. Nothing beats a good playfight and snuggle with the Kirbster.

Here's hoping I get to go home soon. I need a weekend away from the apartment and all the reminders of the ways life could be easier. I need Matt, my mom, my dad, and my Kirby-san for a weekend.

Sara

Okay...when does life get better?

2006-02-15T16:50:00.000-05:00

No really, I'm serious. Matt's been trying so hard to get into policing and it just seems that no one wants to take him onto their force. He kills the prep tests when it's time, and he always really impresses them, but somehow it's just never enough! Now, I know I'm jumping to conclusions here, but man, it's hard not to. When he finished his second interview last week the interviewers told him that he would hear early this week whether or not he passed to the next phase of the application process. Well, it's Wednesday and still no word. I have a sinking feeling that he's going to be getting that oh-so-lovely letter in the mail saying "Thank you for your interest in the position of police constable. We regret to inform you.....blah blah blah." I'm so afraid that that's the news we're going to hear. And as far as job hunting goes for him, THERE'S NOTHING!!! The job market is disgusting!!! And money is tight....it's just so frustrating. Just when you start to get ahead and you think life is going to get on track, BAM...Fate hits you with another one. And I know, we haven't officially heard the verdict on the job with the Greater Sudbury Police Service, but with each day that passes it gets harder and harder to be positive and optimistic about it. I hope I'm wrong.

Sara

There!

2006-02-11T08:51:00.000-05:00

I am no longer a copy cat lol. Bea, I thank you for showing me the way to the beautiful new templates. I decided to do a search on google and I found some great templates for blogger! Since Hawaii is a common theme with me lately I decided to use this one. Doesn't it just make you want to sit down with one of those cute little drinks with the umbrellas and just chill out?? So, after much frustration and headache yesterday trying to figure out why the link the template gave me wouldn't work, a stroke of genius struck me this morning at 7:00am. Of all the things to think about at 7am, I'm thinking about my freakin' blog template. (That and how stuffed up I was lol). Anyway, I realized I could host the image on my mom's website and use it that way. Sure enough it works!! I just have to let my mom know now! Once I got that figured out I fiddled with the colours and realized that the original colour scheme really worked best, although I'm not overly fussy about the link colours, I may change that yet. Let me know what you think!

Sara
- who's dreaming of being on a beach in Waikiki with her hunny and a mai-tai.

Here I Go...Copy Cat That I am...

2006-02-10T21:51:00.000-05:00

Well, Bea changed the look of her blog, and when I saw it my jaw dropped! I didn't know that they had these cool options! So, right now I'm copy-catting her until I can find another cool one. Now I want to ask my mom how she got her blog background because it's gorgeous, but I'm not sure how she did it lol. I must remember to finally ask her.

Totally off topic, I'm listening to the Curious George soundtrack because I'm a HUGE Jack Johnson fan, and it's awesome :o). Mind you, Jack Johnson could probably sing me the alphabet song and I'd be exstatic. Actually I know I would be, seeing as how I work in child care lol. Anyway, I've had people accuse me of jumping on the Jack Johnson bandwagon because his recent release "In Between Dreams" is the one that made him huge, but alas, I love disappointing them when I tell them I've been hooked for a couple years now lol. I fully admit I haven't been a fan from the beginning, I had to be shown the light by a dear friend of mine, but the fact is, I was a fan before he really hit the radio waves lol. So there :oP.

So being part of this paranormal list has made me very curious to explore my psychic ability, if I have one. Too many strange things have happened in my life to not think I have some sort of "gift". Not so much with being able to "predict" or "sense things" with people, but more with communication with spirits on the other side. I've given myself a new task. I found an excellent meditation geared towards contacting your spirit guide. I don't expect it will work right away, it's something I'm going to have to work at and practice, but I'm very excited to meet my spirit guide and to learn from them. Who knows, maybe they'll be able to help me enhance my ability to speak to the other side. That would be cool. And very helpful!! At least then I wouldn't feel like a clueless shmuck when spirits contact me and I can't help them because I can't figure out what they're trying to tell me! So, I'll keep you posted on that.

As far as the manifestation board goes, matt and I chose fairly long-term desires. Or, they didn't seem long term at the time, but due to the fact that the Sudbury Police Service can only interview and work so quickly, it's becoming long term lol. I was disappointed because I hadn't been given any news on any financial changes, and Matt hasn't heard much about jobs, other than his interviews with the police. I was about to get discouraged with the manifestation board when I realized that things were going well, they were just going slowly. I've been given news that the government has received my request for changes to my tax returns for the last few years, which could give us more money, and Matt has been getting feedback on his interviews. So now that I've realized those things are working, I'm realizing I should have put health on there for me! I've been so sick lately!!! And it's just happening so consistently that I swear there are dark forces at work determined to make me miserable lol. I've told matt that once I get over this last flu and cold, I'm gonna go postal on the next person who feels the need to share their germs with me! I'm armed with chewable vitamin C, extra-strength echinacae, and anti-bacterial Purel for work. I'm going to use it constantly!! I am determined to stay healthy for longer than a week! So let it be known here and now that I, Sara, refuse to be sick ANYMORE!!!!

Sara

List Madness!!!

2006-02-06T17:28:00.000-05:00

Alrighty, so my friend Bea had this on her Blog and I thought instead of just replying to it on her comments page I'd actually post my answers on my blog.

1. What are your 4 favorite smells?
- Matt's deoderant (I kid you not, I melt over the smell lol)
- Home baked ANYTHING
- Laundry (but especially Gain detergent, and Jasmine Waterlily fabric softener)
- Lumber

2. Where were you born?
- Sault Ste. Marie, ON

3. Do you like vanilla or chocolate?
- That depends. I'm currently munching on chocolate chips to make me feel better, but I prefer vanilla ice cream.

4. Name music that makes you frisky?
- In general? Swing music gets the booty shakin', but if it comes to good 'ole lovin', I can't resist cool jazz like Mr. Buble, or mellow bouncy stuff like Jack Johnson.

5.What is your favorite breakfast food?
- Blueberry waffles with maple syrup (homemade of course), Pancakes, or eggs benedict. I'm a breakfast food freak lol. Favourite meal of the day.

6. You is your favorite writer?
- Man, you asked an English graduate this question?? I mean I read everything from children's books to suspense, to fantasy. So, for children's authors I am a huge fan of Robert Munsch, and David Shannon, as well as J.K Rowling and Cornelia Funke. For Fantasy I adore Glen Cook and Terry Pratchett. There is one Canadian author I love, and that's Michael Ondaatje. He's the man who wrote the English Patient, but his novel "In The Skin of a Lion" is outstanding. A definite read if you ask me.

7. What is your favorite book?
-Again, why are you making me do this!?! Harry Potter series (with the exception of possibly Book #5, I didn't like that one), Hogfather - Terry Pratchett, Inkheart - Cornelia Funke, In The Skin of a Lion - Michael Ondaatje, The Black Company series - Glen Cook, Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde, Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner - James Hogg. The list could go on and on lol.

8. What are 4 of your favorite films?
- "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" the original and the new one.
- "Moulin Rouge"
- "Lords of the Rings" trilogy does that count as 1 or 3??

9. 3 Things you like about your job?
- The kids
- The things kids say
- Singing songs

10. Name 2 of your biggest flaws.
- Sometimes I let things get to me too easily.
- I find it easier to be negative than to be positive.

11. Name 4 things you're thankful for
- Matt
- My family
- right now, chocolate
- My friends

12. What is your favorite food?
-Right now? Chocolate lol, but usually anything fruit....pineapple, strawberries, kiwis, apples....etc

13. Do you prefer cats or dogs?
-Cats if they're in other people's houses, but I love doggies.

14. What kind of car do you drive?
-1994 Buick Century, pale blue.

15. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?- Married, hopefully with 1 baby already, hopefully in a house, Matt working for the Sudbury police, and me working casual part time for my favourite daycare.

16. Name a celebrity that you're tired of hearing about:
-Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Brad and Angelina, Jennifer Aniston, Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Oprah, the list goes on.

17. Name one actor you admire and another that you dislike:
- One actor I admire is Donald Sutherland. He brings a touch of class to every role he plays, his voice is like silk, and no matter what role he plays he outshines everyone else on the screen.
- One actor I dislike is Tom Cruise. He's whinny, not even that good looking. he's cocky, arrogant, and I'm just plain sick and tired of his mug being on the bigscreen.

18. Name a goal that you have for yourself this year.
- To be able to save enough money so that Matt and I can afford to get married AND go on our honeymoon in May 2007.

19. If you could change one thing in history, what would it be?
- Honestly, it's a very generalized issue: I would change people's "beliefs" about there being only one true religion and that every other religion is wrong.

20. What would be your dream career?
- Professional artist, or children's author.

Let the Manifesting Begin

2006-01-23T21:13:00.000-05:00

Well, seeing as how life doesn't seem to want to take a backseat to fun (like that's really any surprise lol), I've decided to do something a little different. I'm part of this paranormal email list and a paranormal workshop list. I personally haven't had the opportunity to take part in a workshop yet since I just joined, but there are lots of archives for me to entertain myself with. The one of particular interest is the one about creating Manifestation Boards. What is a manifestation board you ask?? Weeeeeell....I'll tell you!

A manifestation board, to be completely basic, is a board on which you put pictures of your goals, or the goals that are most important to you at this point. A lot of the girls on the list have been having HUGE success with theirs, and it has inspired me to read the archives and create one of my own. After the last week of absolute negative energy and a major stomping by reality, I decided that I need something to focus my energy on, something that makes my goals a little more concrete. I'm kind of thinking of it has a cosmic To-Do list. I'll create my manifestation board based on what is most important to me at this moment. Right now I'm thinking financial stability (I don't want tons of money, just the ability to hang onto the savings we manage to put away!), I'll put on a picture of the Sudbury Police Service for good karma for Matt, and I think I'll also put on something health related so I can get myself back to normal. I'm certainly feeling a lot better, but not what I consider to be 100%. But for sure my biggest priorities are savings and matt's job. We're still trying to recuperate from my short stint in the world of the unemployed. I had a lot of savings built up and it just got destroyed. BUT! I'm feeling really good about this manifestation board, and I just keep getting this feeling that everything's going to be okay.....everything happens for a reason right?

Sara

Well, so far so good

2006-01-05T22:06:00.000-05:00

The wedding plans have begun! It's a little overwhelming trying to think of all the things you need to have in place for a wedding. Invitations, hall, cake, catering, dj, dresses, suits, songs, centerpieces.....AHHHHHHhhh lol. It's all fun to think about and plan, but also very mind numbing! And when you're trying to do things on a budget, it's very easy to get carried away!

One thing that really made me excited was Matt told me that he's going to wear the suit I love so much! He showed me this picture of an old 30's style Martini Suit.....very slim-lined, tailored, pin-stripe suit. It's so sexy!! The first time I saw the picture of it I just whistled and said he'd look damn hot in it lol, because he definitely would. It's killer because he even wants to get a fedora to go with it hehehe. What's really awesome is that now I can go and choose a dress to compliment it. I was originally going to choose a dress to compliment the suit I THOUGHT he was going to wear. It was a double breasted suit, royal blue with black pants. I wasn't at all thrilled about it, but was caving because it is his wedding too, after all. But it turns out he was trying to surprise me with the Martini Suit. He had wanted me to walk down the aisle and be surprised to see him standing in the martini suit, but it was just getting too hard to keep secret so he let the cat out of the bag hehe. Not that I mind! Now I can pick a dress that better compliments what he'll be wearing :o).

We sat down and finalized the guest list today. Not bad, really. I was expecting to have 100, and we have 89. That makes me happy. The hall we want to have it at can only hold 120, so I didn't want any more than 100 guests, this works out perfectly. And of course, not all 89 are going to show up, so it should be a nice size wedding.

I bought some cute scrapbooking paper today to start on our wedding book. Matt's Aunt and Uncle got us a really nice scrapbook, tape, and pen for Christmas. The second I saw it I thought it would be ideal for a wedding book, so that's my task to keep me occupied until after the wedding and the honeymoon. I'm excited to work on it....but scared I'll screw it up! lol Ah well, it'll fun either way.

Matt and I have also been looking into honeymoon ideas. We're absolutely certain we're going to Hawaii, and we've found some incredible deals on expedia.ca. We're contemplating putting that as a gift idea with our invitations, so people can contribute to that, or they can check out our registries....we're not 100% decided yet. But, we have some time to think about it yet. Invites don't have to go out until around Jan of next year....even later really. Feb-March.

lol like I said....so much to think about! But, it's exciting all the same!! 499 days to go lol

Sara

A Sara, A Wedding, and Grandma's Pearls

2005-11-21T19:07:00.000-05:00

Well Matt and I went home yesterday for a short visit. We ended up at my Aunt and Uncle's for dinner. It was nice to see everyone. Practically the whole family was there! We had some drinks, had some laughs and ate a delicious meal. Afterwards, it was time for Matt and I to head home. As we were leaving my grandpa said that we had to stop by his house. I was confused because everyone seemed to know what was going on except me and Matt! lol. So Matt and I drove down to my grandpa's house. When we got down there, my grandpa asked me if I was all settled now. I said yes, and he came to me and handed me my grandma's gold watch. He said that I could have it now that I was settled. He also handed me a pink padded box with a gold tassle on it. He said that he was sure my grandma also wanted me to have these. I opened the box and there were my grandma's pearls. A necklace, bracelet and earrings. I almost started to cry. I had been thinking about her a lot lately (especially considering I had lost the mittens she had given me a couple of years ago!), but I did okay. I held back. The pearls are so beautiful, and I was really touched that my grandpa gave them to me.

My plan for the pearls is simple. I had nothing to wear with my dress on my wedding day, and now I have the perfect necklace. When I got home to the apartment I left Matt in the computer room and took the pearls in my lap in the bedroom. I seriously had to prepare myself to put them on. It seemed a little surreal at first, and I almost had a hard time trying them on. It seems sort of silly, afterall it's just a necklace, but they belonged to my grandma, and she was the last one to wear them. Once I put them on, they looked beautiful. I shed a few tears, I felt silly doing it, but a lot of emotions came flooding in. So I'm giving the pearls the showing they deserve, and I'll be wearing them on my wedding day. It'll be a small piece of my grandma present at the wedding. (Even though I know she'll be there with bells on, on the other side :o) ).

Sara

lol the wonders of children

2005-11-11T18:32:00.000-05:00

You know, the short time I've been working in child care, I've noticed that children are highly unpredictable. And if they're in a "mood"...it's best to just let them do their thing lol. I have one little girl who has mood swings quicker than you can blink. She came up to me this morning and wanted snuggles in the rocking chair. She loves the little bumble bee song I sing, so she asked me to sing it to her (again and again and again). I had her giggling and smiling in no time. After she woke up from nap she was the complete opposite lol. I kid you not. I couldn't touch her, I couldn't take her hand to walk outside, she didn't want me to help her put her coat on, she didn't want aaaaaaaaaaanything. She'd throw her food in the garbage at snack, and then expect me to give her more. She was stealing other kids food, she was spilling things, etc. All the while she's the cutest little thing you've ever seen. But she knows that's her ticket. She's also figured out that it doesn't work with me lol. When she's having one of her "moments" I just walk away, basically. I keep my eye on her, but I don't give her the attention she's looking for. It makes her quite irrate, I have to say. But her mood quickly passes because she realizes she won't get to have fun if she's busy throwing a fit.

But, the funniest thing today, was when I had one of the kids sitting on my lap just after nap time. One of our little boys stole a stuffed elephant toy from another of our little boys. The little girl on my lap just says "sumabish". My co-worker and I looked at her, and asked her to repeat herself, due to the fact we couldn't believe what we had just heard, we were hoping we were wrong lol. She repeats it, and sure enough, clear as day we heard "son of a b*tch", come out of her mouth, except it was something more along the lines of "sumabish". LOL I hadn't wanted to laugh so hard in my life lol. My co-worker and I weren't entirely sure what to do, so we told her that her words weren't good words, and not to use them again. LOL After it was over, we had a good laugh though lol.

God I love my job lol.

Sara

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

Mystery Bear

It's Gonna Be a Bright, Bright, Sunshiney Day!

Happy St. Patty's Day

Good House Hunting

Matt's Celebrity Look Alikes

My Celebrity Look Alikes

Hum dum dum diddy dum....

ACK! I must get better at this!!!

Well my goodness....

It's Been a While....

Before the guests arrive....

Quote of the Day....

278 Days To Go....

Long Needed Update...

It's Actually Going To Happen....

5 Rainbow Day

Nova Scotia Bound....

Shakin' her booty all over da place....

Ever Have Those Weeks....

Quote of the Day....

Wow....that was unexpected....

Welcome to the World....

Komo Mai I Palekaiko

OH THE PAIN!!!.....but what a delightful pain....

I have new toys!!

In Honour of Bea's Rant....

Why yes, I do happen to be a princess...

What Mythological Creature Are You?

Well, I've Gone and Done It....

Well....That's interesting....

Dinner Out...

Song of the Moment

Holy Cow How Time Flies

What Kind of Soul Are You?

Just Call Me Queen of the Amazon

I'm Itchy....Oh so Itchyyyyyyy.....

Our pretty new car.....

We Have A New Car!

To Be Riddled with Guilt...

Death of a Legend...

*shakin' her boo-tay*

An Obsessed Aunt....

Happy Days Are Here Again....

Meme Part #2

Finally getting around to this....

The New Do!

The Seven of Swords

Another Strange Dream

5 of Pentacles

Tarot of the Day

Well, he's gone..

Strange Event

Gardening Goddess

I Can See Clearly Now...

Well They're Off

Neighbour Saga - Pt. 2

Of the Moment...

As I Sit Here...

Yeah...no sleep for Sara...

Mmmm Cake....Wedding Plans Pt. 2

Hurray! Success!!!

Here comes Peter Cottontail

BBQ Brush Update...

Why yes, Matt, plastic does melt with fire....

It finally hit me....

Emotional Responses

Childhood Heroes and Memories

I believe in miracles...

Just a quick update...

What A Wonderful Week This Has Been....

Welcome Little One....

Okay...this is overkill....

Alien Invasion...George Bush Style...

Sunny-side up!

My little taste of spring...

On The Topic of Kleenex...

Random Thought....

My New Toy

Songs of the moment...

shakin' her boo-tay