Well, the second week of school is done, and today I thought for a moment that Cameron might actually make it to the babysitter's without crying. He did pretty good, actually; He didn't start crying until I put him down at Wendy's house. Usually it starts the second I pull up to her curb, if not sooner. Today was also the first day I paid for Wendy's services... $218 for 8 days, (two weeks, but both weeks were missing Monday). That's marginally cheaper than I expected it to be, add $40 for the two missed Mondays and it'll be exactly what I budgeted, so I'm happy with it.
Tomorrow we'll all buckle down and clean the house and get the laundry and shopping done - I'm hoping to turn this into routine, so when Saturday comes everyone knows what to expect. On Sunday we'll be taking the boys to do a walk for the Terry Fox Run. Last year we (James and I) ran the 5k, but this year seeing as how we have the kids with us and both James and I are pretty unconditioned for the run, we'll be walking. This year I'll be walking in memory of my Grandma, Joyce McLachlan, who passed away from cancer in July.
After the walk we'll pack everyone up and head to the beach for the afternoon. The weather is supposed to be really nice so we'll take the boat out and the bigger boys'll try to catch some fish while Cameron and I make sandcastles on the beach. If we're lucky, maybe I'll actually remember to bring my camera!
School is going wonderfully, for both myself and The Boy. I just got my first essay assignment, 12-15 pages due the end of November...I have 30 topics to choose from, but I think I'll be writing on how the French viewed the Natives in early Canada. I know that James finds the topic incredibly stimulating... /sarcasm. I'm going to get an early start on it, though, or at least try, so I have less to keep me away from Nanowrimo, in November.
The Boy brought home his first ever spelling quiz today; he got a perfect score. I'm proud of him. :)
About Me
So, I'm almost finished my second week of school, and so far it's been a success. Last week was completely an introductory week, and most classes let out early after only giving out the outline. The commute after a few days was really unappealing, especially on the days where I"m only on campus for only 30 minutes. I also discovered that if I'm late and manage to miss the 9:20 train, then I'm forced to wait 15 minutes for the next one. This cuts it way too close to class start time and results in a lot more exertion than I'm used to before noon.
The long weekend was really nice, and as usual not long enough. James and I went to Sonic Boom, 'Edmonton's Modern Rock Music Festival' where we enjoyed bands such as USS, Metric, Ill Scarlet, and Franz Ferdinand. Billy Talent was headlining and was awesome! It was totally worth 12 hours baking under the sun and having to sit on a concrete parking lot between sets. I also had my share of burgers, smokies, ice cream and virgin margaritas that night. There was a beer gardens there, but we never made it in...the line was too long and the area was too cramped - we would have had to sit on the ground there, as well.
The next day, Sunday, we were supposed to make attempt #3 of our hot air balloon ride. The plan was, since we had such bad luck with sunset rides, we'd try a sunrise one. So, James and I stayed at a hotel and waited for the call in the morning so we could go ballooning. At 6:40am my sister calls....it was raining and the ride was canceled. Again. It's hard to believe, after 3 failures, that it'll ever really happen. James is starting to wonder if the balloon is mythical. However, on my way into the city today I saw 3 balloons floating majestically over the city skyline, so they are out there.
Despite the failed balloon ride, I got to spend time with my family, which is what it's all about, anyway. We went out for breakfast at Smitty's then hung out at my sisters for a while. At 4 we went to my cousin Jamie's for a bbq, where I met up with my Uncle Alan and Aunt Rita as well as cousins Jen and Kim. We had a great time chatting with everyone and ate way to good very yummy bbq food and a virtual mountain of german chocolate cake that Rita made. I was so full...
We got home in time for the kids bed time, and just as they started getting jammies on, our power went out, quite dramatically. It was out for 2 hours. James and I, bored with out electric entertainment, decided to go to bed at 11. Just as we blew out the candle, the lights came back on. We went to sleep, anyway.
That brings us to Monday... the long weekend was spent cleaning my house, with help from my boys, doing laundry, and getting groceries. Sounds like a crappy holiday Monday, but I got to spend it with my boys at home and it felt pretty nice, after I got over a little morning crabbiness thanks to the very persistent goofy cheerfulness of my hubby.
And this week at school has been great. I'm not even minding the commute. I absolutely love going to the lectures and doing the readings. I'm even finding that I'm a better mom, when I'm home, than when I was home 24/7. I have more patience, I'm happier, and I'm more on top of things like chores and keeping the place tidy. Today I came home from school and made cookies and muffins.
I feel good, and I'm really happy.
The long weekend was really nice, and as usual not long enough. James and I went to Sonic Boom, 'Edmonton's Modern Rock Music Festival' where we enjoyed bands such as USS, Metric, Ill Scarlet, and Franz Ferdinand. Billy Talent was headlining and was awesome! It was totally worth 12 hours baking under the sun and having to sit on a concrete parking lot between sets. I also had my share of burgers, smokies, ice cream and virgin margaritas that night. There was a beer gardens there, but we never made it in...the line was too long and the area was too cramped - we would have had to sit on the ground there, as well.
The next day, Sunday, we were supposed to make attempt #3 of our hot air balloon ride. The plan was, since we had such bad luck with sunset rides, we'd try a sunrise one. So, James and I stayed at a hotel and waited for the call in the morning so we could go ballooning. At 6:40am my sister calls....it was raining and the ride was canceled. Again. It's hard to believe, after 3 failures, that it'll ever really happen. James is starting to wonder if the balloon is mythical. However, on my way into the city today I saw 3 balloons floating majestically over the city skyline, so they are out there.
Despite the failed balloon ride, I got to spend time with my family, which is what it's all about, anyway. We went out for breakfast at Smitty's then hung out at my sisters for a while. At 4 we went to my cousin Jamie's for a bbq, where I met up with my Uncle Alan and Aunt Rita as well as cousins Jen and Kim. We had a great time chatting with everyone and ate way to good very yummy bbq food and a virtual mountain of german chocolate cake that Rita made. I was so full...
We got home in time for the kids bed time, and just as they started getting jammies on, our power went out, quite dramatically. It was out for 2 hours. James and I, bored with out electric entertainment, decided to go to bed at 11. Just as we blew out the candle, the lights came back on. We went to sleep, anyway.
That brings us to Monday... the long weekend was spent cleaning my house, with help from my boys, doing laundry, and getting groceries. Sounds like a crappy holiday Monday, but I got to spend it with my boys at home and it felt pretty nice, after I got over a little morning crabbiness thanks to the very persistent goofy cheerfulness of my hubby.
And this week at school has been great. I'm not even minding the commute. I absolutely love going to the lectures and doing the readings. I'm even finding that I'm a better mom, when I'm home, than when I was home 24/7. I have more patience, I'm happier, and I'm more on top of things like chores and keeping the place tidy. Today I came home from school and made cookies and muffins.
I feel good, and I'm really happy.
The past few days have been all about newness for me. On Saturday we went out, depite James' being very sick, and bought me a new car. Yay! My Jeep's lease is up October 2nd and we really ddn't want to have to pay for the gas for me to drive it in to the city every day for a month, so we went car shopping.
I've known for a couple years now that the car I wanted was a Mazda5 so that's what I got. I had to settle for a white one, despite that being on the very bottom of my wish list, color wise. It's not that bad, really, and really like the car. Despite only being a GS it has climate control which is awesome and feels like real luxery to me.
After getting the car we had to take pity on James and come home so he could spend the next 20 hours in bed feeling horrible. By Sunday he was mostly feelng better, so we went out and timed my commute and took a tour of the campus and spent $400 on text books. Then, before we got home we bought new cell phones so we could text each other and have unlimited calling between us, and as a part of the phone deal we each got a $100 gift card for Future Shop and with that we bought a PS3.
It was a very $$$ weekend, all things considered.
Today marks the real newness, however. Today I had my orientation. I was up at 6 and not home till 4:30. It was a very long, only marginally useful, day and I'm now exhausted and will be sleeping shortly. It was also the first day of the kids at the babysitters, and Cameron handled it much better than expected and Quint walked there from school just fine.
Tomorrow at 10 I have my first class, History 260 - Pre-Confederation Canada. A guy I talked to at orientation shuddered and said it was a brutal class. Yay. I'm only on campus for 1 hour M/W/F, totally not worth the 3 hours of commuting.
It feels very weird to be back at school...it makes me feel both very young and very old at the same time.
Is it bad when I have to use one blog post to try to summerize the entire summer? Or are my imaginary readers used to my infrequent posts now, and expect no more (and possibly less) of me?
In the future I would like to try (yeah, yeah) to write on a more frequent basis so as to get in the habit of journaling, as it is a requirement for my degree.
Speaking of which (smooth segue...) I start school in exactly one week. Yay! I'm really excited. This weekend I get to go and spend a couple hundred dollars on textbooks, (and buy a new car!!) Tuesday I have orientation and then I start. I'm taking 5 courses this semester - 3 education (education and technology, psyhology for teaching and 'concepts of childhood through history') and 2 history (pre-confederation Canada and World history 1500-1800).
My oldest son starts grade one on Monday, unfortunately he's only mildly excited because he doesn't think he's going to have fun. I have to register for him to take the bus, so it's easier to get him to school, as stupid as that sounds considering we're only 2 big blocks and a 5 minute walk from the school. Next year maybe he'll be old enough to walk.
The youngest will be going to a day home - actually, she's (her name is Wendy) considered the best and most sought after babysitter in town. She's been watching kids for the last 20 years or so. I was really lucky to get a spot with her. Child care will probably cost me about $500 a month for this symester, however around $700 next semester, cuz Cam'll be full time. This symester will just ease us into the idea.
So far this summer we haven't done too much... James had surgery, we tried and failed for the second time to have our balloon ride. The kids visited my parents for a week which is always nice for all of us. Last week we went camping for 4 days and had a really nice time, unfortunately I forgot the camera. Besides that, Quint was in OT every week, working on his fine motor and printing skills. Hmm. Kinda hard to summerize a summer when you didn't do anything.
Anyway, that's it for now...I've gotta go take the kids to the doctor, they both have fevers and Quint was throwing up yesterday. More later, I hope.
Yeah. Been a while since I've updated, but anyone who knows me should also know that that's completely normal. I've thought, a lot of times, that I should write a blog entry, but never got around to it. Just lazy, I guess.
So, what all's been going on, you're wondering?
First of all, the month of May basically didn't exist for me, I was so busy. I was granted a conditional acceptance to the UofA and had to complete my Athabasca course and get my transcripts in by June 15th. So, with 4 units and 3 essays yet to write I worked my ass off. I averaged reading 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Housework and laundry were neglected even more than usual, and James barely saw me except for at dinner.
In the middle of May I took off 4 precious days (except for reading on the plane) to go to Vegas with my husband to see Nine Inch Nails (NIN/JA tour). We had an amazing time, the concert was incredible, and are already making plans to go back in the new year.
When we got back home I threw together a birthday cake and a party for my now 2 year old, then got back to work, cranking out a unit and an essay per week.
I finished the unit and wrote my final exam on June 9th (got an A in the course!) and after a hell of a lot of stress and a 4 day exension (wasn't that generous of the UofA? /sarcasm) I was accepted into the UofA! Now we get to take out a home equity loan to pay for it. Yay. That was more sarcasm.
Whew!! What a crazy month.
On top of it all, since returning from Vegas my husband and I have re-commited to losing weight. With a reduced calorie diet (~1500 calories per day) and exercise 5 days a week, I have lost 13 lbs and 6 inches so far.
We considered very seriously for a while, selling our house and moving to Leduc, but the market here is not the greatest and we probably couldn't sell our house before the new school year. Not to mention, we'll better afford a new house once I'm out of school and working. So, we'll see how things go this year, with my driving to the city for school, and maybe we'll move next year. One thing's for sure, though - we are definitely moving.
The rest of the summer was supposed to be spent relaxing and enjoying the summer. However, the weather here has sucked and it refuses to stay warm for long. Not to mention my husband has surgery in a couple weeks, and my grandma is dying and I can't afford to go be with her.
I am eager for September.
So, what all's been going on, you're wondering?
First of all, the month of May basically didn't exist for me, I was so busy. I was granted a conditional acceptance to the UofA and had to complete my Athabasca course and get my transcripts in by June 15th. So, with 4 units and 3 essays yet to write I worked my ass off. I averaged reading 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Housework and laundry were neglected even more than usual, and James barely saw me except for at dinner.
In the middle of May I took off 4 precious days (except for reading on the plane) to go to Vegas with my husband to see Nine Inch Nails (NIN/JA tour). We had an amazing time, the concert was incredible, and are already making plans to go back in the new year.
When we got back home I threw together a birthday cake and a party for my now 2 year old, then got back to work, cranking out a unit and an essay per week.
I finished the unit and wrote my final exam on June 9th (got an A in the course!) and after a hell of a lot of stress and a 4 day exension (wasn't that generous of the UofA? /sarcasm) I was accepted into the UofA! Now we get to take out a home equity loan to pay for it. Yay. That was more sarcasm.
Whew!! What a crazy month.
On top of it all, since returning from Vegas my husband and I have re-commited to losing weight. With a reduced calorie diet (~1500 calories per day) and exercise 5 days a week, I have lost 13 lbs and 6 inches so far.
We considered very seriously for a while, selling our house and moving to Leduc, but the market here is not the greatest and we probably couldn't sell our house before the new school year. Not to mention, we'll better afford a new house once I'm out of school and working. So, we'll see how things go this year, with my driving to the city for school, and maybe we'll move next year. One thing's for sure, though - we are definitely moving.
The rest of the summer was supposed to be spent relaxing and enjoying the summer. However, the weather here has sucked and it refuses to stay warm for long. Not to mention my husband has surgery in a couple weeks, and my grandma is dying and I can't afford to go be with her.
I am eager for September.
About 3 years ago when I was in therapy (not that big of a surprize, is it?), my therapist advised me that if I write in a journal (or blog) I should concentrate on writing about the good things, so as not to surround myself with and dwell on the negative. So... here I go.
I spent the day yesterday in an absolutely miserable funk. After dinner was made I chose to do homework in my room by myself. If I hadn't left, James probably would have made me leave, it was that bad. So, I spent the next 4 or so hours reading about British North America in the 1740s-1840s, and answering questions, while I watched tv. Biggest Loser! Yay! If I had to chose one show to make me feel like a lazy fat ass, that'd be it.
Anyway, I thought that my funk during the day was a direct result of dissatisfaction with where I am, due to my sister just buying an awesome house and my jealousy related to that. I basically came to the conclusion that I don't want to spend the next 3 (or whatever) years in this town because it's so inconvenient and THE SUCK.
What I actually discovered, though, around 11:30pm, after I made the boy lunch, fed the dogs (which James forgot about) and cleaned the kitchen (which he didn't do), and bawled my eyes out under hot, steamy shower water is that I'm at my limit of being able to do things all on my own.
I have my children, my house, my dogs, my volunteer duties and my school work all to contend with. James bathes the kids once a week, and generally does the dishes/cleans the kitchen (mostly). I have had to battle with the school, with hockey, take the dog to the vet countless times and nurse him after surgery, plus feed/clothe and generally care for kids and home. After all of this, was it any surprize just how horribly behind my school work I am? I have 4 months to do about 8 months of school work. I just broke down. I'm at my limit.
I'm still feeling down today, like I'm clinging to sanity...could cry at any second. I was so pissed off last night of having to feed the dogs and clean the kitchen while James sat on his ass and played his guitar/computer and watched movies all night, while I studied for hours, that I went to bed without saying a word to him.
I need ot talk to him about it, I know I do. I'm not very good at it though.
Anyway, I have to go and start the day... Moms and Tots today and I have to get the room ready before everyone arrives.
I did pretty good about only talking about good things...it's like...80% good, right?
I spent the day yesterday in an absolutely miserable funk. After dinner was made I chose to do homework in my room by myself. If I hadn't left, James probably would have made me leave, it was that bad. So, I spent the next 4 or so hours reading about British North America in the 1740s-1840s, and answering questions, while I watched tv. Biggest Loser! Yay! If I had to chose one show to make me feel like a lazy fat ass, that'd be it.
Anyway, I thought that my funk during the day was a direct result of dissatisfaction with where I am, due to my sister just buying an awesome house and my jealousy related to that. I basically came to the conclusion that I don't want to spend the next 3 (or whatever) years in this town because it's so inconvenient and THE SUCK.
What I actually discovered, though, around 11:30pm, after I made the boy lunch, fed the dogs (which James forgot about) and cleaned the kitchen (which he didn't do), and bawled my eyes out under hot, steamy shower water is that I'm at my limit of being able to do things all on my own.
I have my children, my house, my dogs, my volunteer duties and my school work all to contend with. James bathes the kids once a week, and generally does the dishes/cleans the kitchen (mostly). I have had to battle with the school, with hockey, take the dog to the vet countless times and nurse him after surgery, plus feed/clothe and generally care for kids and home. After all of this, was it any surprize just how horribly behind my school work I am? I have 4 months to do about 8 months of school work. I just broke down. I'm at my limit.
I'm still feeling down today, like I'm clinging to sanity...could cry at any second. I was so pissed off last night of having to feed the dogs and clean the kitchen while James sat on his ass and played his guitar/computer and watched movies all night, while I studied for hours, that I went to bed without saying a word to him.
I need ot talk to him about it, I know I do. I'm not very good at it though.
Anyway, I have to go and start the day... Moms and Tots today and I have to get the room ready before everyone arrives.
I did pretty good about only talking about good things...it's like...80% good, right?
My son Quintin has been in minor hockey for two years, starting just a month before he turned 4. His first year of pre-novice we had to pay $100 for his registration, and we chose to pay $150 instead of working at the concession.
His second year of pre-novice cost us $200, plus 25 hours of concession work and mandatory volunteer work at the fundraiser. We also wrote a post dated cheque for $250 as a deposit against jerseys and incase we didn't volunteer. We got that cheque back, uncashed at the end of the year.
Now the executive has just chosen to charge parents all fees and deposits upfront, and if all obligations (concession and volunteer) are met, to be refunded at the end of the year. That means that when I register Quintin I will have to pay $675.
I don't have this kind of money just laying around. However, push having come to shove, I can get it. That's not so for a lot of parents. Many of the first year players I know will not be able to have their children continue with hockey. I'm sure that if Quintin was at a higher (and more expensive) level, that I would not be able to afford it. A friend has two children in hockey and will have to pay $1000. That I certainly wouldn't have.
I think it is completely unfair that families who don't have large amounts of money readily available aren't able to have their kids continue in hockey. What's even worse than all this, however, is that of the hundred or so families in Lamont who are involved in minor hockey, only 11 people came to the meeting, and it's the same 11 who always come. The executive and these 11 people are running the club and making all the decisions for the rest of us. I was shocked to hear that no one besides myself protested this fee change.
I wish that people weren't so complacent and eager to drift through life as if nothing involves them. Why is no one willing to fight for what is the right thing to do?
This rediculous decision penalizes children whose their parents live paycheque to paycheque and are forced to save for months for extra expenses. It's not fair that only the priveledged get to participate.
His second year of pre-novice cost us $200, plus 25 hours of concession work and mandatory volunteer work at the fundraiser. We also wrote a post dated cheque for $250 as a deposit against jerseys and incase we didn't volunteer. We got that cheque back, uncashed at the end of the year.
Now the executive has just chosen to charge parents all fees and deposits upfront, and if all obligations (concession and volunteer) are met, to be refunded at the end of the year. That means that when I register Quintin I will have to pay $675.
I don't have this kind of money just laying around. However, push having come to shove, I can get it. That's not so for a lot of parents. Many of the first year players I know will not be able to have their children continue with hockey. I'm sure that if Quintin was at a higher (and more expensive) level, that I would not be able to afford it. A friend has two children in hockey and will have to pay $1000. That I certainly wouldn't have.
I think it is completely unfair that families who don't have large amounts of money readily available aren't able to have their kids continue in hockey. What's even worse than all this, however, is that of the hundred or so families in Lamont who are involved in minor hockey, only 11 people came to the meeting, and it's the same 11 who always come. The executive and these 11 people are running the club and making all the decisions for the rest of us. I was shocked to hear that no one besides myself protested this fee change.
I wish that people weren't so complacent and eager to drift through life as if nothing involves them. Why is no one willing to fight for what is the right thing to do?
This rediculous decision penalizes children whose their parents live paycheque to paycheque and are forced to save for months for extra expenses. It's not fair that only the priveledged get to participate.
No offense or disrespect to anyone intended by my title...it's just funny.
So I'm back from my Easter holiday. Nothing much to say about it, really. It was a nice few days away, but besides having someone cook for me (which is Awesome! I wish it was that way every day!) I didn't really do anything vacationey. I didn't sleep in at all, though I did get one nap in, and James and I didn't go out to a movie. It was relaxing, all the same though...having someone else run around with my kids is a bonus.
The most memorable part of the weekend, aside from Cameron crying for an hour both there and back, would definitely have to be the amount of candy I ended up bringing home. My mom and I agreed that next year she'll buy toys and I'll buy the candy.
So today it's back to the grind, since James has to work. The kids and I went out and bought enough groceries to last until Friday, then we grabbed some lunch and came home, where I felt inspired enough by the warm sunshine (which has since vanished behind dark threatening clouds and weather channel promises of snow *shudder*), that I took down most of the Christmas lights. I left the ones that would have involved a ladder.
I was getting the gardening itch...gazing at my flower beds covered with leaves just begging to be raked out. Better wait and see if it does snow, after all, though. I'm really eager for everything to get all dried out so the yard to can get cleaned and livable again. The neighbors must think we're horrible white trash, considering the state of the yard at the moment. It's covered in garbage because of the dogs ripping garbage bags open, and then it snowing. Plus, it has piles of renovation trash, most notably the carpet and underlay, and all the soggy dog poop that needs to dry out before it can be raked and shoveled up. It won't take long to clean, but in the mean time it looks disgusting.
That's it for now.... next time I'll tell you about my NIN concert outfit that I'm currently awaiting delivery for. :)
So I'm back from my Easter holiday. Nothing much to say about it, really. It was a nice few days away, but besides having someone cook for me (which is Awesome! I wish it was that way every day!) I didn't really do anything vacationey. I didn't sleep in at all, though I did get one nap in, and James and I didn't go out to a movie. It was relaxing, all the same though...having someone else run around with my kids is a bonus.
The most memorable part of the weekend, aside from Cameron crying for an hour both there and back, would definitely have to be the amount of candy I ended up bringing home. My mom and I agreed that next year she'll buy toys and I'll buy the candy.
So today it's back to the grind, since James has to work. The kids and I went out and bought enough groceries to last until Friday, then we grabbed some lunch and came home, where I felt inspired enough by the warm sunshine (which has since vanished behind dark threatening clouds and weather channel promises of snow *shudder*), that I took down most of the Christmas lights. I left the ones that would have involved a ladder.
I was getting the gardening itch...gazing at my flower beds covered with leaves just begging to be raked out. Better wait and see if it does snow, after all, though. I'm really eager for everything to get all dried out so the yard to can get cleaned and livable again. The neighbors must think we're horrible white trash, considering the state of the yard at the moment. It's covered in garbage because of the dogs ripping garbage bags open, and then it snowing. Plus, it has piles of renovation trash, most notably the carpet and underlay, and all the soggy dog poop that needs to dry out before it can be raked and shoveled up. It won't take long to clean, but in the mean time it looks disgusting.
That's it for now.... next time I'll tell you about my NIN concert outfit that I'm currently awaiting delivery for. :)
I've been feeling in a bit of a funk lately. I've been down on my self, getting into the whole 'I suck at this that and the other thing'. Then I gave myself a little shake and realized that if I don't like something about myself, then I'm the only one who can fix it.
So, right after breakfast I got dressed and got to work. I spent the entire day being Suzy Homemaker. From 9:30am I cleaned..I started with Cameron's laundry, then did his room, then the bathroom, then my room and my laundry, then lunch. Then Quintin's room (OMG you wouldn't believe the mess!), and Quintin's laundry. Then the living room, James's laundry, then the kitchen. Then I made pizza, then finished with the kitchen. Then I vacuumed all the floors, and then had dinner. That was at 6:30pm.
*whew* I cleaned for 9 freakin' hours!! The sad part is that I still have to clean the kitchen floor, water my plants, fold one load and dry and fold another. Oh, and I have to pack for the weekend.
We're going to my parent's for Easter, leaving after breakfast tomorrow and staying for the weekend. James doesn't get the Monday off, so we have to come back on Sunday. I have to try really hard not to forget the kids Easter goodies here. I'm really looking forward to having someone else cook for me and watch my children. James and I even get to go out for a movie... he wants to see 'Observe and Report'. Looks funny enough, I guess.
Whoops, tangent.
Anyway, what I'm hoping is that at the beginning of every day, if I can get dressed and do what needs to be done (cleaning, laundry, whatever), then I'll have the rest of the day to do homework or just relax, and hopefully that'll help me prioritize and feel more in control of things. We'll see how it works after the weekend, cuz you can be sure I'm going to be doing a whole lot of ass sitting for the next few days.
Happy Chocolate Egg Day!!
So, right after breakfast I got dressed and got to work. I spent the entire day being Suzy Homemaker. From 9:30am I cleaned..I started with Cameron's laundry, then did his room, then the bathroom, then my room and my laundry, then lunch. Then Quintin's room (OMG you wouldn't believe the mess!), and Quintin's laundry. Then the living room, James's laundry, then the kitchen. Then I made pizza, then finished with the kitchen. Then I vacuumed all the floors, and then had dinner. That was at 6:30pm.
*whew* I cleaned for 9 freakin' hours!! The sad part is that I still have to clean the kitchen floor, water my plants, fold one load and dry and fold another. Oh, and I have to pack for the weekend.
We're going to my parent's for Easter, leaving after breakfast tomorrow and staying for the weekend. James doesn't get the Monday off, so we have to come back on Sunday. I have to try really hard not to forget the kids Easter goodies here. I'm really looking forward to having someone else cook for me and watch my children. James and I even get to go out for a movie... he wants to see 'Observe and Report'. Looks funny enough, I guess.
Whoops, tangent.
Anyway, what I'm hoping is that at the beginning of every day, if I can get dressed and do what needs to be done (cleaning, laundry, whatever), then I'll have the rest of the day to do homework or just relax, and hopefully that'll help me prioritize and feel more in control of things. We'll see how it works after the weekend, cuz you can be sure I'm going to be doing a whole lot of ass sitting for the next few days.
Happy Chocolate Egg Day!!
Spring break is over. I'm glad that my son likes kindergarten enough that he counted down the days to go back to school. However, I'm not happy to have to get up at 8 again and to add extra responsibilities to my schedule.
I've been having trouble lately, trying to prioritize. You see, I'm taking this history course through Athabasca University, and I need to finish it in order to be admitted to the B.Ed. program at UofA. It's a year long program, and I have until August 30 to finish the course. There's 6 units, and I'm only at the end of unit 2. What does this mean? It means that I'm sucking at this course. Part of the problem is that there is a ton of reading and I'm not making myself do it quick enough. Another part is that I'm finding the assignments (essays) really difficult. The bulk of it, though, is that I'm just not doing the work. I'm finding it difficult to decide what's really important...should I be doing the laundry or writing my essay? Cleaning the house or reading?
I'm actually really worried about not getting it done in time...but I'm still not doing it. I have this whole fear of failure thing..not to mention a fear of change. If I finish the course I find out if I get into the UofA. What if I don't get in? What if I do get in and I do horribly? I have absolutely no confidence in my abilities as a student or teacher. I don't feel smart enough. I honestly look at myself and think, there's no way I can do this...I don't know enough. The more I get into it the more nervous I get. I'm so scared of screwing up, that I'm screwing it up. Sigh.
So, I'll try to do more reading and writing today. I wish I could think of a way to make myself do it. Independent study is so hard to keep up on.
Besides school, laundry and housework that needs to be done, I have to take Ozy to the vet to see why he's limping. He's 12 years old, he has cancer (Mast Cell) and on Saturday he started favoring the back end. $50 to find out why.
I feel like I've bitten off more than I can chew.
I've been having trouble lately, trying to prioritize. You see, I'm taking this history course through Athabasca University, and I need to finish it in order to be admitted to the B.Ed. program at UofA. It's a year long program, and I have until August 30 to finish the course. There's 6 units, and I'm only at the end of unit 2. What does this mean? It means that I'm sucking at this course. Part of the problem is that there is a ton of reading and I'm not making myself do it quick enough. Another part is that I'm finding the assignments (essays) really difficult. The bulk of it, though, is that I'm just not doing the work. I'm finding it difficult to decide what's really important...should I be doing the laundry or writing my essay? Cleaning the house or reading?
I'm actually really worried about not getting it done in time...but I'm still not doing it. I have this whole fear of failure thing..not to mention a fear of change. If I finish the course I find out if I get into the UofA. What if I don't get in? What if I do get in and I do horribly? I have absolutely no confidence in my abilities as a student or teacher. I don't feel smart enough. I honestly look at myself and think, there's no way I can do this...I don't know enough. The more I get into it the more nervous I get. I'm so scared of screwing up, that I'm screwing it up. Sigh.
So, I'll try to do more reading and writing today. I wish I could think of a way to make myself do it. Independent study is so hard to keep up on.
Besides school, laundry and housework that needs to be done, I have to take Ozy to the vet to see why he's limping. He's 12 years old, he has cancer (Mast Cell) and on Saturday he started favoring the back end. $50 to find out why.
I feel like I've bitten off more than I can chew.
I'm going to let you in on one one of my deepest darkest secrets. Are you ready?
I'm not a good housewife.
*Gasp!*
Well, maybe it's not that big of a secret. If pressed my husband would admit that he knew it. Heck, he might even admit it if not pressed.
The truth is, I'm just not the kind of person who gets enjoyment out of the day-to-day monotony of cooking and cleaning, nor am I the kind of person who can easily grin and bear it. So, the chores that I do, I do because it's necessary and there' s no one else to do them.
There are many days when chores are left to fester simply because I don't see it as imperative that they be done, and all too often the house gets clean because someone is coming over and I couldn't bear to let them in on my 'dirty' secret.
The worst of all my chores to do, and the one that gets put off the most, until I'm left with no more alternatives but to actually do it, is laundry. I despise laundry. I typically end up doing laundry on average every 3 weeks. I know, I know. Disgusting. I wait until there is absolutely nothing to wear. Kids are re-wearing pajamas, hubby is re-wearing underwear and socks, we're all examining our shirts to avoid the most obviously dirty.
The problem is that laundry is a chore that has no end. Unlike cleaning the floor or the bathroom, which can stay clean up to an entire day or two, there is always laundry that needs to be cleaning, even when all is said and done... you still have the clothes on your back left to clean, and every day it gets worse and worse. Unless you're one of those manic laundry washers who do a load every day of the week. Clearly, I am not.
I am currently doing laundry. So far one load is done, (and folded even, but not put away), one is drying and one is washing. I have 3 loads to go. Most likely, they will not all get done, and at least the last load will be left in the dryer, perhaps even a load left in the washer to be re-washed at a later date.
But at least it's getting done. One thing is certain, when my house is clean and I've spent an entire day cleaning it, I get nasty about keeping it clean. I see one toy on the floor, or the blanket rumpled, I just might lose it and bite the head off of the person who dared to disturb the order of my clean house. Just for a few hours, at least, I'd like it to stay nice. That's not too much to ask, is it?
Maybe in a couple of days I can regale you with tales of cleaning my kids' bedrooms.
I'm not a good housewife.
*Gasp!*
Well, maybe it's not that big of a secret. If pressed my husband would admit that he knew it. Heck, he might even admit it if not pressed.
The truth is, I'm just not the kind of person who gets enjoyment out of the day-to-day monotony of cooking and cleaning, nor am I the kind of person who can easily grin and bear it. So, the chores that I do, I do because it's necessary and there' s no one else to do them.
There are many days when chores are left to fester simply because I don't see it as imperative that they be done, and all too often the house gets clean because someone is coming over and I couldn't bear to let them in on my 'dirty' secret.
The worst of all my chores to do, and the one that gets put off the most, until I'm left with no more alternatives but to actually do it, is laundry. I despise laundry. I typically end up doing laundry on average every 3 weeks. I know, I know. Disgusting. I wait until there is absolutely nothing to wear. Kids are re-wearing pajamas, hubby is re-wearing underwear and socks, we're all examining our shirts to avoid the most obviously dirty.
The problem is that laundry is a chore that has no end. Unlike cleaning the floor or the bathroom, which can stay clean up to an entire day or two, there is always laundry that needs to be cleaning, even when all is said and done... you still have the clothes on your back left to clean, and every day it gets worse and worse. Unless you're one of those manic laundry washers who do a load every day of the week. Clearly, I am not.
I am currently doing laundry. So far one load is done, (and folded even, but not put away), one is drying and one is washing. I have 3 loads to go. Most likely, they will not all get done, and at least the last load will be left in the dryer, perhaps even a load left in the washer to be re-washed at a later date.
But at least it's getting done. One thing is certain, when my house is clean and I've spent an entire day cleaning it, I get nasty about keeping it clean. I see one toy on the floor, or the blanket rumpled, I just might lose it and bite the head off of the person who dared to disturb the order of my clean house. Just for a few hours, at least, I'd like it to stay nice. That's not too much to ask, is it?
Maybe in a couple of days I can regale you with tales of cleaning my kids' bedrooms.
That'd be my house.... I can't imagine if someone looked at it under a microscope right now... I'm sure the air and surfaces would appear to shimmer with the germs crawling everywhere.
I've been sick for 9 days so far. I thought that the flu was bad enough and that it was getting better, however I still have a nasty cough and a lot of snot - which I believe has turned into a sinus infection. The left half of my face, down to my jaw is in serious pain. I went to the doctor and he decided it could be treated with out drugs, so I'm supposed to squirt water into my nose and sinuses twice a day. I don't think it's working, the pain is just getting worse.
Then there's Cameron, who I thought was suffering from the same thing I had. I thought he was getting better, until all of a sudden he got worse. A trip to the doctor and I'm told he has a severe ear infection, and he's been put on antibiotics. Luckily they've worked quickly and he's in a good mood today and is currently climbing into my lap.
Then there's Quintin who's been sniffing and coughing for a while....woke up at 3am with an ear ache. Only time will tell if that develops into an infection.
James isn't far behind. He's all snotty and hopefully it doesn't go beyond that.
All this and it's only Tuesday. Uhg. This is going to be a very long week.
I've been sick for 9 days so far. I thought that the flu was bad enough and that it was getting better, however I still have a nasty cough and a lot of snot - which I believe has turned into a sinus infection. The left half of my face, down to my jaw is in serious pain. I went to the doctor and he decided it could be treated with out drugs, so I'm supposed to squirt water into my nose and sinuses twice a day. I don't think it's working, the pain is just getting worse.
Then there's Cameron, who I thought was suffering from the same thing I had. I thought he was getting better, until all of a sudden he got worse. A trip to the doctor and I'm told he has a severe ear infection, and he's been put on antibiotics. Luckily they've worked quickly and he's in a good mood today and is currently climbing into my lap.
Then there's Quintin who's been sniffing and coughing for a while....woke up at 3am with an ear ache. Only time will tell if that develops into an infection.
James isn't far behind. He's all snotty and hopefully it doesn't go beyond that.
All this and it's only Tuesday. Uhg. This is going to be a very long week.
In anticipation of some moderate gambling in Vegas, James and I decided to take some rare kidless time, and actually see what a casino looks like. After our very yummy and soul fulfilling dinner of Sushi at Mikados, we drove to the Casino in North Edmonton, after a lengthy discussion about just how many casinos there are in the city, and why Canada doesn't have/need a 'Vegas'.
Anyway, so we walked into the Casino, and I admit that I felt very out of place and noobish. We walked around and got the lay of the land, checked our coats and blew $5 each on nickle slots. Then, not wanting to go home yet, we decided to each take $50 and play some blackjack. We chose a table with a couple of guys sitting at one end. Table minimum was $5, and as such I managed to lose $10 in about 5 minutes. After that it got better, though. For a little while, James and I were up a total of $80, however at the end of 2 hours I had managed to lose all my money except for $10, and James had lost all his profits and broken even.
We decided to quit at that point, and James wanted to try his hand at some Craps, where he promptly lost his money. While he did that, I took $5 and played nickle slots again, and managed to double my money. By then James was done, he had $7 remaining, and decided to play one more hand a blackjack to win back his spending money for the week - he walked out with $16.
It was a nice way to spend the evening, particularily because it was something different from the usual routine.
Anyway, so we walked into the Casino, and I admit that I felt very out of place and noobish. We walked around and got the lay of the land, checked our coats and blew $5 each on nickle slots. Then, not wanting to go home yet, we decided to each take $50 and play some blackjack. We chose a table with a couple of guys sitting at one end. Table minimum was $5, and as such I managed to lose $10 in about 5 minutes. After that it got better, though. For a little while, James and I were up a total of $80, however at the end of 2 hours I had managed to lose all my money except for $10, and James had lost all his profits and broken even.
We decided to quit at that point, and James wanted to try his hand at some Craps, where he promptly lost his money. While he did that, I took $5 and played nickle slots again, and managed to double my money. By then James was done, he had $7 remaining, and decided to play one more hand a blackjack to win back his spending money for the week - he walked out with $16.
It was a nice way to spend the evening, particularily because it was something different from the usual routine.
If I had a nickle for every time I've started or restarted a blog.... I'd have like... a whole 25 cents! And does anyone want to explain to me just why there isn't a cent character on the keyboard?
So, I'm here because.... I rediscovered the blog. Way back in 2005 when I first started with blogger, apparently my reasoning for it was because Xanga wasn't user friendly enough. A while ago I rediscovered my Xanga blog and made a few posts, then forgot it. Heh. I've been blogging on Facebook, but honestly, I don't think anyone knows it's there, and frankly it's ugly and boring. It served a purpose but got burried in the rest of the facebook mess. With the new facebook format, I'm not sure I could even find it again, anyway.
So, I'm here...wait, I already said that... umm... I should be making up my grocery list and preparing to go shopping but I'm procrastinating because I'm actually feeling good. For the last 5 days I've felt like I was going to die, I've been so sick. I'm sure I must have had the flu.... fever, chills, headache, sore throat, head and chest congestion, no energy. It was horrible...the sickest I've been in a very very long time. But today...well, I'm not going so far as to say I'm better, cuz I'm still congested, and my body temperature still can't make up it's mind as to what normal is, so I'm either hot or cold. But! I feel fine despite all that. That probably doesn't make much sense, but it's true. I'm in a good mood cuz despite being sick I feel good, in comparrison to how crappy I used to feel.
This weekend I get to go on a date with my sweetie, while my kids go on a sleep over with their Aunty. It'll be a nice little break, I'll get to eat sushi. Yum! And...I don't know what else I'll be doing, I've only planned the sushi. Maybe we'll go to the Casino. Hahaha! Hmm....now that I'm thinking about it, it' s not a horrible idea...gotta bone up our skills for our Vegas trip.
Yup, we're going to Vegas for May long! Yay! It's all because I'm a genius, you see. NIN is playing in Vegas and I convinced my husband that a few days in Vegas would be fun. I get to go to the concert and to the worlds biggest toy box. Okay, I made that up. I have no idea if it's the biggest or not. But that's still 7 weeks away. Boo!
Anyway, I've gotta start doing what needs doing before I lose my energy. Toodles!
So, I'm here because.... I rediscovered the blog. Way back in 2005 when I first started with blogger, apparently my reasoning for it was because Xanga wasn't user friendly enough. A while ago I rediscovered my Xanga blog and made a few posts, then forgot it. Heh. I've been blogging on Facebook, but honestly, I don't think anyone knows it's there, and frankly it's ugly and boring. It served a purpose but got burried in the rest of the facebook mess. With the new facebook format, I'm not sure I could even find it again, anyway.
So, I'm here...wait, I already said that... umm... I should be making up my grocery list and preparing to go shopping but I'm procrastinating because I'm actually feeling good. For the last 5 days I've felt like I was going to die, I've been so sick. I'm sure I must have had the flu.... fever, chills, headache, sore throat, head and chest congestion, no energy. It was horrible...the sickest I've been in a very very long time. But today...well, I'm not going so far as to say I'm better, cuz I'm still congested, and my body temperature still can't make up it's mind as to what normal is, so I'm either hot or cold. But! I feel fine despite all that. That probably doesn't make much sense, but it's true. I'm in a good mood cuz despite being sick I feel good, in comparrison to how crappy I used to feel.
This weekend I get to go on a date with my sweetie, while my kids go on a sleep over with their Aunty. It'll be a nice little break, I'll get to eat sushi. Yum! And...I don't know what else I'll be doing, I've only planned the sushi. Maybe we'll go to the Casino. Hahaha! Hmm....now that I'm thinking about it, it' s not a horrible idea...gotta bone up our skills for our Vegas trip.
Yup, we're going to Vegas for May long! Yay! It's all because I'm a genius, you see. NIN is playing in Vegas and I convinced my husband that a few days in Vegas would be fun. I get to go to the concert and to the worlds biggest toy box. Okay, I made that up. I have no idea if it's the biggest or not. But that's still 7 weeks away. Boo!
Anyway, I've gotta start doing what needs doing before I lose my energy. Toodles!
... I never updated after I got back from my trip.
Well, I'm back, safe and sound. It was a long trip back, and we were pretty tired, but everything's back to normal now. If anyone's interested in seeing any pictures, they're here: http://www.thefinn.net/gallery There's about 350 pictures...unfortunately our camera corrupted 170 pictures and they can't be opened. They were good pictures, too. If you look in the Vatican album, the last 5 pictures or so, that just looks like the top of a building...they're actually pictures of the Pope. He's in the open window, with the red flag underneath it. Yes, that's right... I was blessed by the Pope and didn't burst into flames or get struck by lightening... I must be doing something right. :) Unfortunately, as you can see, my camera doesn't have a zoom.
So life's been pretty normal since we got back. James brought back some European cold bugs and has managed to get the baby sick. So Quint has a really runny nose today...it's so bad that I can't keep up with it, so he's constantly covered in snot, or smearing it all over his face and hands... and the couch, and my clothes... There's nothing like getting a kiss from a kid with a runny nose. :) Poor guy woke up crying last night cuz he coudln't breath out of his nose.... I think his throat may have been sore too...oh, and he has molars coming in. So I gave him some motrin and he went back to sleep.
Anyway, yeah...like I said, not very interesting.
Well, I'm back, safe and sound. It was a long trip back, and we were pretty tired, but everything's back to normal now. If anyone's interested in seeing any pictures, they're here: http://www.thefinn.net/gallery There's about 350 pictures...unfortunately our camera corrupted 170 pictures and they can't be opened. They were good pictures, too. If you look in the Vatican album, the last 5 pictures or so, that just looks like the top of a building...they're actually pictures of the Pope. He's in the open window, with the red flag underneath it. Yes, that's right... I was blessed by the Pope and didn't burst into flames or get struck by lightening... I must be doing something right. :) Unfortunately, as you can see, my camera doesn't have a zoom.
So life's been pretty normal since we got back. James brought back some European cold bugs and has managed to get the baby sick. So Quint has a really runny nose today...it's so bad that I can't keep up with it, so he's constantly covered in snot, or smearing it all over his face and hands... and the couch, and my clothes... There's nothing like getting a kiss from a kid with a runny nose. :) Poor guy woke up crying last night cuz he coudln't breath out of his nose.... I think his throat may have been sore too...oh, and he has molars coming in. So I gave him some motrin and he went back to sleep.
Anyway, yeah...like I said, not very interesting.
So, we didn't get up in time to meet the tour group of the Vatican..it started at 930 and we didn't get up until 915. No problem though.... we got there around 1030 and walked past the HUGE line.... I mean, it must have been at least a km long....a couple of thousand people in it. This line was just for the museum, with the Sistine chappel and such. So we walked past it, relieved that the line for St. Peter's Basillica wasn't even close to that, and walked around the church.
Compared to the elegance of Notre Dame, St. Peter's has a grandur that's unmatched.... it was almost to the point of being guady. There were so many huge and intricate marble statues, and mosaics in gold tile, and paintings, and of course the famous Dome designed by Michelangelo.... it was immense. In Notre Dame, you could feel the intense emotional history the church had.... hundreds of years of devoted followers, worshiping and preying, joy, sorrow...it was all wrapped up in the church. St. Peter's, however, was sterile, conservative, awe inspiring, but there was no real emotion attached to it...except in the one little corner they had marked off for private prayer. It was an amazing site to see, regardless.
After touring the treasury at St. Peter's we had intended on going to the museum only to see that it closed at 130, with the last visiters being let in at 1240... it was 1230 when we left the treasury. So, we decided to go see Trevi Fountain instead. We hopped on the subway, and walked to the fountain....really big, quite an impressive sculpture.... and we threw our coins in, to ensure our return to Rome, and had our picture taken.
By now it was about 230 ish.... what to do with the rest of the day? We decided to take the subway back in the direction of our hotel and look at Circus Maximus.... now, a really big oval field that used to be a stadium that fit 300,000 people. From there we headed next door to Palentine Hill, where the city of Rome, according to legend, was founded by the twin brothers Romulus and Remis (you know the story....abandoned in a river as infants by their evil father, they washed ashore only to be raised by a she-wolf who had lost her pups).
Anyway, Palentine hill is now a site of massive excavations containing palaces of various Emperors, as well as the temple of Cyble and remins of a 9th centure BC Iron Age village. So we got there at 328, only to discover the last visitors were let in at 330, so we quickly got our tickets and wandered around the ruins for an hour. After that we had late lunch from a pizza vendor and head back to our hotel.
Thoughts provoked by this trip....
Everwhere we've gone we've been whitness to beggers in many different forms.... claiming to be refugees who don't speak the language, old women shuffling or kneeling on the floor holding a cup, and the most heart breaking, women holding babies. I don't mind giving charity, when it isnt asked for.... but Im uncomfortable with beggers, mostly because 9 times out of 10, its just a scam. I pointed this out to my husband, how the women with babies hurt my heart, being the mother I am.... he said that they're probably gypsies...infact all the beggars we've seen probably have been gypsies....its an interesting thought.
That's enough for now. Tomorrow we'll be seeing the vatican museum, then heading to the airport to try to pass time until our flight leaves early Monday morning. So this'll be the last time I post anything in my blog. I'll write again once I'm home.
Thanks for reading!
Compared to the elegance of Notre Dame, St. Peter's has a grandur that's unmatched.... it was almost to the point of being guady. There were so many huge and intricate marble statues, and mosaics in gold tile, and paintings, and of course the famous Dome designed by Michelangelo.... it was immense. In Notre Dame, you could feel the intense emotional history the church had.... hundreds of years of devoted followers, worshiping and preying, joy, sorrow...it was all wrapped up in the church. St. Peter's, however, was sterile, conservative, awe inspiring, but there was no real emotion attached to it...except in the one little corner they had marked off for private prayer. It was an amazing site to see, regardless.
After touring the treasury at St. Peter's we had intended on going to the museum only to see that it closed at 130, with the last visiters being let in at 1240... it was 1230 when we left the treasury. So, we decided to go see Trevi Fountain instead. We hopped on the subway, and walked to the fountain....really big, quite an impressive sculpture.... and we threw our coins in, to ensure our return to Rome, and had our picture taken.
By now it was about 230 ish.... what to do with the rest of the day? We decided to take the subway back in the direction of our hotel and look at Circus Maximus.... now, a really big oval field that used to be a stadium that fit 300,000 people. From there we headed next door to Palentine Hill, where the city of Rome, according to legend, was founded by the twin brothers Romulus and Remis (you know the story....abandoned in a river as infants by their evil father, they washed ashore only to be raised by a she-wolf who had lost her pups).
Anyway, Palentine hill is now a site of massive excavations containing palaces of various Emperors, as well as the temple of Cyble and remins of a 9th centure BC Iron Age village. So we got there at 328, only to discover the last visitors were let in at 330, so we quickly got our tickets and wandered around the ruins for an hour. After that we had late lunch from a pizza vendor and head back to our hotel.
Thoughts provoked by this trip....
Everwhere we've gone we've been whitness to beggers in many different forms.... claiming to be refugees who don't speak the language, old women shuffling or kneeling on the floor holding a cup, and the most heart breaking, women holding babies. I don't mind giving charity, when it isnt asked for.... but Im uncomfortable with beggers, mostly because 9 times out of 10, its just a scam. I pointed this out to my husband, how the women with babies hurt my heart, being the mother I am.... he said that they're probably gypsies...infact all the beggars we've seen probably have been gypsies....its an interesting thought.
That's enough for now. Tomorrow we'll be seeing the vatican museum, then heading to the airport to try to pass time until our flight leaves early Monday morning. So this'll be the last time I post anything in my blog. I'll write again once I'm home.
Thanks for reading!
Well, now that I have some time to sit down (and free internet usage in the hotel room), I can expand a little more on the trip.
Venice was very interesting. We arrived on my birthday (the 8th), which also happened to be the last day of Carivale so there were tons of people in elaborate costumes and masks, and tourists in funny hats, masks and with their faces painted. I took the first opportunity to have my face painted, and later on in the night, after a nap rubbed it off on my pillow, I bought myself a mask to wear. I couldnt convice James to do anything like that, though.... I even threatened to throw him in the canal and he still wouldnt.
St. Marks square was....well, squarey. hehe. It had hoards of people in it because of Carnival, and even more pidgeons. I bought some corn to feed them, despite James's objections that they ruin the art, so you shouldnt feed them. I have a classic picture of my arms covered with at least 10 birds. One even landed on my head, but theres no picture of that....James said it was disaster waiting to happen so he shooed it away..
The basillica was impressive...very elaborate mosaics but it paled in comparison to Notre Dame. We didnt bother going into the Doge's Palace. Walking around Venice was quite time consuming... we got lost a couple of times, and we walked for a really long time. The buildings are so close together there that you never feel the sun, it only touches the tops of the buildings.
So after Venice, we took a train to Rome. We missed the train we intended on taking, because James forgot his passport in the hotel room and he had to run back and get it. We only got in 1 hour later than we intended though. Our first view of Rome after leaving the train station was of the Collesium. Its really and impressive site. What I found most interesting, however, is that the reason its missing so much is because parts of it were plundered and used to build St. Pauls Cathedral. We learned about that on the tour we took today.
Last night, however, we had an amazing, although really expensive, meal. The waiter, Ricardo, was really friendly. He gave me a poster, with a drawing of the Collesium, and bought James and I a free glass of a dessert wine. He also gave me big hugs when he learned it was my birthday 2 days ago.
Today we took tours (as I mentioned) of the Collesium and the Forum, the ancient center of Rome. We hope to take a tour of the Vatican tomorrow, if we can get there in time... it starts at 930am.
I wish I had pictures to share right now, but for some reason we cant download them off of the camera. Thats starting to become a problem because we only have enough room on the card for about 100 more pictures. Weve already taken around 420 pictures! I imagine tomorrow well take at least 100 pictures at the Cathedral alone.
That's it for now,
Chao!
Venice was very interesting. We arrived on my birthday (the 8th), which also happened to be the last day of Carivale so there were tons of people in elaborate costumes and masks, and tourists in funny hats, masks and with their faces painted. I took the first opportunity to have my face painted, and later on in the night, after a nap rubbed it off on my pillow, I bought myself a mask to wear. I couldnt convice James to do anything like that, though.... I even threatened to throw him in the canal and he still wouldnt.
St. Marks square was....well, squarey. hehe. It had hoards of people in it because of Carnival, and even more pidgeons. I bought some corn to feed them, despite James's objections that they ruin the art, so you shouldnt feed them. I have a classic picture of my arms covered with at least 10 birds. One even landed on my head, but theres no picture of that....James said it was disaster waiting to happen so he shooed it away..
The basillica was impressive...very elaborate mosaics but it paled in comparison to Notre Dame. We didnt bother going into the Doge's Palace. Walking around Venice was quite time consuming... we got lost a couple of times, and we walked for a really long time. The buildings are so close together there that you never feel the sun, it only touches the tops of the buildings.
So after Venice, we took a train to Rome. We missed the train we intended on taking, because James forgot his passport in the hotel room and he had to run back and get it. We only got in 1 hour later than we intended though. Our first view of Rome after leaving the train station was of the Collesium. Its really and impressive site. What I found most interesting, however, is that the reason its missing so much is because parts of it were plundered and used to build St. Pauls Cathedral. We learned about that on the tour we took today.
Last night, however, we had an amazing, although really expensive, meal. The waiter, Ricardo, was really friendly. He gave me a poster, with a drawing of the Collesium, and bought James and I a free glass of a dessert wine. He also gave me big hugs when he learned it was my birthday 2 days ago.
Today we took tours (as I mentioned) of the Collesium and the Forum, the ancient center of Rome. We hope to take a tour of the Vatican tomorrow, if we can get there in time... it starts at 930am.
I wish I had pictures to share right now, but for some reason we cant download them off of the camera. Thats starting to become a problem because we only have enough room on the card for about 100 more pictures. Weve already taken around 420 pictures! I imagine tomorrow well take at least 100 pictures at the Cathedral alone.
That's it for now,
Chao!
Well, this is the first chance Ive had to get into an internet cafe....the last few days have been go go go, to try to get everything done on time. Oh, and Im currently in Venice using an Italian keyboard so if anything looks weird, thats why....its also why Im not using any apostrophies.... I cant find it.
So, anyway.... the trip got off to a bit of a rockey start. The plane leaving Calgary was 2 hours late, so we missed our connection to Amsterdam in Frankfurt. We had to wait 4 hours in Frankfurt for the next plane, so we didnt get into Amsterdam in time to do much.... we walked throught the redlight district, and then walked through the city a bit on our way to the train the next day, and took some pictures of the amazing architecture.
And then we were on to Paris. It truely was a wonderful place to visit.... I cant believe that it was never on my list of places to go. We tried to go to the Catacombs but they were closed (doh!). Notre Dame was...awe inspiring. It actually brought tears to my eyes. I lit a candle (for 2 euros) infront of this amazing Christ on the Cross) the whole church was just.... wow, thats all I can say. We took close to 100 pictures there...only to find that our camera was being screwy and it wont read half of the pictures we took. Hopefully we can get them with the computer.
After Notre Dame we went to the Eifel Tower. On the way there we had some really good crepes filled with ham and cheese from a street vendor, and then desert, a crepe with Nutella in it. The Eifel Tower is HUGE. Pictures just dont do any justice to its scale. It was dark by the time we got there and it was all lit up. We took the elevator up to the top and took some pictures, and called home.
The next day (yesterday) we spent about 4 hours walking around the Louvre. Amazing art! Just amazing! And then we went to the Arc de Triumph, and took the elevator up to the top and walked the 289 stairs back down. By that time our feet were so sore we were both limping.
We spent last night on our train to Venice, 12 hours so my feet dont hurt too bad, but my muscles are pretty sore.
Unfortunately I dont have time to write any more or post any pictures, cuz we only have enough change for 1/2 hour on the computer.
So I hope everyone at home and on MW is doing well, and Ill write again when I have the time.
Arrivederci!!
So, anyway.... the trip got off to a bit of a rockey start. The plane leaving Calgary was 2 hours late, so we missed our connection to Amsterdam in Frankfurt. We had to wait 4 hours in Frankfurt for the next plane, so we didnt get into Amsterdam in time to do much.... we walked throught the redlight district, and then walked through the city a bit on our way to the train the next day, and took some pictures of the amazing architecture.
And then we were on to Paris. It truely was a wonderful place to visit.... I cant believe that it was never on my list of places to go. We tried to go to the Catacombs but they were closed (doh!). Notre Dame was...awe inspiring. It actually brought tears to my eyes. I lit a candle (for 2 euros) infront of this amazing Christ on the Cross) the whole church was just.... wow, thats all I can say. We took close to 100 pictures there...only to find that our camera was being screwy and it wont read half of the pictures we took. Hopefully we can get them with the computer.
After Notre Dame we went to the Eifel Tower. On the way there we had some really good crepes filled with ham and cheese from a street vendor, and then desert, a crepe with Nutella in it. The Eifel Tower is HUGE. Pictures just dont do any justice to its scale. It was dark by the time we got there and it was all lit up. We took the elevator up to the top and took some pictures, and called home.
The next day (yesterday) we spent about 4 hours walking around the Louvre. Amazing art! Just amazing! And then we went to the Arc de Triumph, and took the elevator up to the top and walked the 289 stairs back down. By that time our feet were so sore we were both limping.
We spent last night on our train to Venice, 12 hours so my feet dont hurt too bad, but my muscles are pretty sore.
Unfortunately I dont have time to write any more or post any pictures, cuz we only have enough change for 1/2 hour on the computer.
So I hope everyone at home and on MW is doing well, and Ill write again when I have the time.
Arrivederci!!
Woo! How time flies! I hadn't realized how much time had gone by since my last post... I guess life just hasn't been interesting enough to post about.
To answer the question in my comments, no, no one here got the flu. I guess those flu shots really work. :)
Okay, so I'm just gonna skip over the last few months, cuz I don't really remember what's happened in all that time....
We've really just been planning for our vacation, which we leave for tomorrow night. Well, we're going to my parent's place tonight, cuz they're babysitting the baby, then tomorrow we get on the plane.
I know! 10 whole days with out my sweet heart!
He terrified me today. I came upstairs and closed the doors to all the rooms, but his bedroom, so he could play, then went to make his lunch. It got really quiet, and I was finished his lunch so I called him, heard nothing. Then I went to look for him and couldn't find him anywhere. I look under his bed, in closets, behind the couch. It was like he just up and disappeared. By this time I'm yelling for him, on the verge of panic and tears...images of strangers coming into my house and taking him flash through my mind... I check to make sure the front door is still locked, it is. Then I open the bathroom door and there he was. Playing with a bath toy. Happy. Somehow he managed to open the bathroom door, and close it behind him. I picked him up and held him tight and tried not to cry.... my heart was beating so fast.... meanwhile he's wiggling like he's saying, "moooommm....put me down....." It was such a horrible feeling.
I'm gonna miss him alot when we're gone.
So, what about your vacation, you ask? Well, we're taking 10 days to take a train through Europe, spending a few days at Amsterdam, Paris, Venice and Rome. I'm looking forward to Rome the most...the history there is just staggering. Our hotel is right behind the Coliseum...it'll be sooo cool.
Our plane leaves tomorrow night, and it'll take 9 hours to get there....landing in Frankfurt and changing planes before going on to Amsterdam.
So, keep reading my blog for updates... I hope to update for each city, and include some pictures as well.
Those of you reading from MW, a big "Hi" to you. :)
To answer the question in my comments, no, no one here got the flu. I guess those flu shots really work. :)
Okay, so I'm just gonna skip over the last few months, cuz I don't really remember what's happened in all that time....
We've really just been planning for our vacation, which we leave for tomorrow night. Well, we're going to my parent's place tonight, cuz they're babysitting the baby, then tomorrow we get on the plane.
I know! 10 whole days with out my sweet heart!
He terrified me today. I came upstairs and closed the doors to all the rooms, but his bedroom, so he could play, then went to make his lunch. It got really quiet, and I was finished his lunch so I called him, heard nothing. Then I went to look for him and couldn't find him anywhere. I look under his bed, in closets, behind the couch. It was like he just up and disappeared. By this time I'm yelling for him, on the verge of panic and tears...images of strangers coming into my house and taking him flash through my mind... I check to make sure the front door is still locked, it is. Then I open the bathroom door and there he was. Playing with a bath toy. Happy. Somehow he managed to open the bathroom door, and close it behind him. I picked him up and held him tight and tried not to cry.... my heart was beating so fast.... meanwhile he's wiggling like he's saying, "moooommm....put me down....." It was such a horrible feeling.
I'm gonna miss him alot when we're gone.
So, what about your vacation, you ask? Well, we're taking 10 days to take a train through Europe, spending a few days at Amsterdam, Paris, Venice and Rome. I'm looking forward to Rome the most...the history there is just staggering. Our hotel is right behind the Coliseum...it'll be sooo cool.
Our plane leaves tomorrow night, and it'll take 9 hours to get there....landing in Frankfurt and changing planes before going on to Amsterdam.
So, keep reading my blog for updates... I hope to update for each city, and include some pictures as well.
Those of you reading from MW, a big "Hi" to you. :)
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