Kitty Cat cuddles.

So we're house sitting for Jen & Tom over the holidays watching the house and the cats.

First off, let me say that their Spare bed... a KING size spare bed is amazing! SO comfy! And Lair is in love with their kitchen, they may have a hard time getting rid of us! LOL

Cat is rarely about, usually see him for breakfast/dinner... Cat is a Big cat! And Jinx is a sleek small little black kitty who needs a lot of love. She cuddles up on me lots, including now on my lap... not much room for a cat and a laptop! She's a massaging cat too - she needs to work on her deep tissue methods. I enjoy the cuddles, but not the hair she leaves behind!

Last night one of the cats was curled up in my legs. I haven't had a critter sleep with me since we had our little dog Brandy.


While taking care of Caleb & Noah yesterday I had some time to decorate their tree. :) It turned out quite nice! Dave is still in the hospital under observation after Chemo #1 on wed. After some pain management issues, he's doing well now and should be home this weekend. He'll be on a feeding tube 12 hours a day, but can still drink broth and smoothies. I think they are doing away with the nose hose and going in by the elbow. So happy he'll be home for Christmas.


We're heading to Medicine Hat tomorrow afternoon. So excited to see the Family!! We'll be back in Calgary on the 24th, then me, Q & Mom will be heading to Red Deer the following weekend. Lair will be working and house sitting.

Rawk the hawk dood!

Today was Noah's 1st b-day. Was happy to celebrate this fantastic day with Dave, Darcy, Caleb, (of course Noah), and friends.

A little man who we loved from afar in BC, and are now close by.

We were also able to watch Darcy Shave Dave's head. And what a good job she did. WAY to RAWK The HAWK DAVE! Seriously, Dave IS the man. H_A_W_T! 35 and pulls it off like a pro!
Some of his friends got him a baseball hat that says "CANCER SUCKS" Cancer Warrior and no he is truly the warrior.

Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of his life. Love, prayers and energy being beamed out.

I've hit a bit of a wall tonight, but that's ok, beautiful friends are helping me build it up again so tomorrow we'll be BIG and STRONG and have 210% support....

Prayers and energy needed for our dear friend Dave Lymburner

So in the course of about 10 days, our dear friend went from being told he has throat cancer to being told it's spread pretty far in the stomach and the unknown. Stage 4. 20% survival rate. Intense Chemo starts monday.

So prayers and energies to Dave and his family during this crutial time. He is young and otherwise Healthy - Dave WILL be the 20%...

We spent the day there yesterday and helped tend to the kids and clean the house. I am available as a full time, even live-in Den Mom if needed.

I can't imagine if we were still in BC, I would be devastated not being able to directly help.

My heart and Soul ache for them; all my energies go to them. My prayers are loud and clear.



20% man - You can do it!

A Walk to Tubby Dog

So there is actually something new (to us) on 17th. Tubby Dog! What a novel idea! One of Quinn's favorite lunches is Turkey Dogs.

BTW - Lair is feeling 100% better after monday's day of crazy pain & suffering. SO, being Lair's day off, after pre-school we walked a few blocks to the Tubby Dog.

Quinn was so cute. Walk should have been a 5-10 minute walk took about an hour of him dawdling and playing in the snow. We really enjoyed our dogs, though a wee bit expensive. I think $5.00 max. Then we wondered home. Quinn left snow angels on any fresh snow. It made for a nice afternoon. But I learned I need knew gloves as my fingers were rather chilled by the time we got home.



So nice to be back in Calgary.

A day in the ER

So today, Lair's day off, didn't go quite the way we had intended.

Lair woke up early this a.m. with pain in his mid right back. It got progressively worse and he woke me up ~5am. It got really bad and he decided he needed to go to the Hospital.

He got there and they thought it was Kidney stones. He was in incredible pain, and it moved to the front Sternum.... they gave him morphine... the guy said "you are a big guy, so I'm giving you enough to knock out a horse"... Lair was able to catch up on his sleep and fade in and out of La La Land. They did a CT Scan, blood, urine. Results came back with a clear abdomen and no explanation... So, why the pain?

10 hours later discharged him with 'undiagnosed Abdomen pain'. They gave him some pills, said if the pain comes back take them. If the pain is severe, come back and they'll do an ultrasound. Thinking it could be Gall stones.


So we left. He became horrible ill before we even got to the car and was ill all afternoon. Must have been the drugs.


He's doing 100% better now. Ate a good dinner. No pain. Food staying down.

So a mystery.


What a day!

Stunned...

We got a phone call last night from some near and dear friends of ours... He hasn't felt well for several months. Stomach problems, pain, weakness. He rapidly dropped 25 pounds & finally found a doctor who listened to him...

He has Throat cancer...

Not too sure how to process this. My Sisters father-in-law fought and won Throat cancer... So I know it can be done.

So I guess for now we will pray, pray, pray and ask that all of you pray for him as well. And if they need anything at all, I'm not working right now so I can help them the best I can; take care of the kids, clean, cook... hug, hold, sit.

I know how this makes me feel, I can't imagine it on their/his side.


:(

Tomorrow is December...

This is our new view-------->

Much different than Abbotsford! I didn't realize how much of a city girl I was until I left the city! It's pretty cool living downtown.

So the weekend after we arrived, Bassnectar was in town, it was also Steve (early) b-day celebration. Was so nice to see so many familiar faces and get lots of hugs. The show itself was boring to me, but I loved the people I was with!

The gathering afterwards was terrific. Had a great visit with everybody. It was a wonderful way to be re-introduced back into my real life!

Quinn started his pre-school (Tue & Thur) last week and is loving it. Though he is a tad dissapointed on M-W-F's as he wants to go to school everyday! He seems to be adjusting well, though there have been a few outbursts of crying and tantrum's, that has me a little worried as it is so out of the ordinary for him; but I guess it's to be expected.

I've been able to get around for various visits with friends; more coffe dates and play dates in my near future! Such a novelty compared to the past 2 years of NO social life!!! (Thank God for Facebook!).

Lawrences new job, week 1 is done. So far no real complaints from him other than the 5am start is a bit hard to swallow! So I more or less tuck in Quinn, then turn around and tuck in Lair! Good thing about that shift is he's home by 2pm. Sometimes he naps with Quinn. :)

Life with mom has been great. I don't feel any stress and we fit in the space well.


Ok all you Bloggers - It's month end! Time to update your blogs!

Home safe and sound!

The Eagle has landed!

The first part of the move went great.  Moving day got pushed back a day so we were able to be 110% ready.   Got up friday morning, took Quinn to school, grabbed some Starbucks and the movers were an hour late... no big deal - we don't pay them by the hour!  

The driver + 3 guys showed up with smiles on their faces.  They were fantastic.  We got out of their hair immediately.  We ran some errands then went for pedicures :)  Best move ever.  Upon our return they were finishing up.  We cleaned for about 2 hours then grabbed Quinn and brought him to the empty house to say goodbye to his painted animals.   He ran in, yelled good bye and was ready to go.

We headed into Vancouver and went to the Aquarium, then over to Scott & Dee's for one last visit and sleepover.  Alex and his friends came to.  It was a nice evening.

Saturday we bid farewell and hit to road by 10.  We actually hit the road at noon once we done everything we needed to do.  We picked up some 2-way radios from Costco as i don't have a cell and wanted to be in contact with Lair.  We made it to Chase in no time!  Like under 3 hours!  The road was clear and a good drive.

We had a nice visit with dad.

Sunday we were up at 6am and on the road by 7:15.   The drive was great right up until three valley gap where the snow began.  Man oh man what crappy weather and road conditions!  Mostly drove 50km/hr.  I wasn't very happy - pretty slippery, not quite a white knuckle drive, but close!  It finally cleared at Banff where the highway divides, then it was clear and dry all the way to Calgary!

We arrived at Karen & Steves door step exactly 8 hours later :)

So there you have.  We are Back!  WOO-HOO!

A.D.D.?

During the past few weeks, while trying to organize, pack, purge, clean, mother, wife - I've concluded that why LISTS are so important to me, is they focus my brain on the task at hand.

Without a list, I am all over the place! Lawrence has mentioned in the past how I go from one thing to another to another without finishing what I started then back again and repeat. I never noticed. However, in the past few weeks, I've wondered from either Making a list, or following a list and my brain has been chaotic and I find myself all over the place.



This morning, I concluded that I must have A.D.D., and my medication is a List.


Profound!

Fish and Chips and guilt....

So last night we headed out for dinner. The 2 restaurants we chose were either CLOSED (on a wed) or closing at 6 pm on a wednesday. Grrrr.... Abbotsford sucks!

So we ended up going for Fish & Chips. It was a hard choice because Quinn has NEVER had French fries with us (though it seems he knows what they are >:\ not sure if that means he's had them or just knows about them)....

We figured since it's Fish & Chips and something we don't normally eat, it would be a treat.

Man oh man was it ever good! All you could eat Cod & chips for $9.99 ($2.99 for Quinn). And eat we did! But, while eating I wasn't paying attention. Quinn more or less just ate Chips.... sigh. Then was too full for the fish (or didn't like it? though he never said that).

So, if/when there is a next time for chips/fries - I will tell him he has to eat his meal first, then may have the fries.



Not bad. 3.5 years with no fries and trust you me, this isn't opening a new food door.





Today is Lair's last day of work. Moving day has been pushed back a day which is a relief. So that mean's we'll both be here - so we'll both go for a Pedicure!

We'll stay with Scott & Dee tomorrow night for a final visit with them and hopefully Alex, then Saturday will head to Chase to see dad and sunday push through to Calgary where we will stay with Steve & Karen for a night or 2 while we arrange to pick up our futon .

T-Minus 24 hours!

Radio Contest

When we arrived in the Lower Mainland, we were tickled pik to find out there was a Jack FM 96.9 here with the same format as the Calgary station. We are loyal listeners in rush hour as the traffic updates are quite important!

While working at Cellcom, I listened to the internet radio (BC) Jack FM a lot and gathered up a lot of points for the 'Jackoholics club' (you earn point going on line for contests/surveys/etc). This was how I won the Power Within tickets in the Spring.

Anyways, Here we are moving and Alberta doesn't have the jackoholics club, so we're sitting here with megga points to spend. So - There is a contest that opened last week and closes nest weekend - a trip for two to the Mayan Riviera at the Coba (where we stayed last year).

250 points for one entry. I entered 27 times and Lair entered 23 times! Wouldn't it be awesome if we won! One hell of a BC parting gift!

Wish us luck! The draw is on Monday, Nov 19 between 9am - 3pm - so I hope Lair's cell phone rings!

Joe Rogan

Wow, what a fun night out! a few months ago Lawrence surprised me with ticket to Joe's show! We love him on so many levels!

It was a great night out. We arrived a little early so went to the casino and lost $20 in about 2 minutes... Didn't make me want to spend anymore! LOL

The show was awesome! The opening comedian was hilarious and Joe was rediculusly funny. Worth every penny! Well, maybe not the $7 drinks... ;) I was so glad he shaved his beard! 2 weeks ago we watched some UFC and he had a huge beard - I wanted to see his pretty face ;-)

We've never really done 'date night', getting out without Quinn, so when we get to Calgary, we plan to change that! It was nice to feel all pretty and twitter-paited without a 40 lb 3 year old in between us!


I had my last day of work yesterday. 2 people called in sick and it was a gong show of stupid. Very stressfull BUT, it's over.... Thank God!!!!! Worst job I've ever had. If we hadn't decided to go home, I would have quit in August.


I just did a search on calgaryjobshop.ca for part time office work and there are TONS of postings. After new years I will try to find something for Feb 1. I'm hopeing for mornings 4-5 days a week, or a full day a few times a week. The stressful part about finding a job is finding the childcare for Quinn, especially now that he has pre-school. I'm not sure if the pre-school I found provides before and after care, if they don't I will have to find something else.

Oh well - it will all fall into place, I will take it one day at a time... Plan for the/Live in the NOW (a novel concept for me - I like to plan everything out for days, weeks, years!)...


Love you all! Thanks for reading! See you soon!

Packing....

Wow. Working, parenting, packing and trying not to stress... Not so easy.

Packing is coming along slowly but surely.

We don't get home till 1:30, then have lunch. Quinn demands attention the moment I pick him up from school. Stories and playing, then the fight to get him down for quiet time for an hour. During that hour I get very little done unless he actually falls asleep and try to get the housework done while he's down.

Next thing I know Lawrence is home. Time for dinner, that means one cooks while the other tends to Quinn.... so no packing; then after dinner is family time. Then Quinn's bath time I can putter for a bit then it's bedtime. Stories, hugs, kisses, cuddles.... 8:30.... Putter for 30-60 minutes - screw it. Relax for an hour (which usually means TV & Laundry)... - sleep.

Repeat.

This has been my daily grind. Then for weekends, Lair hangs out with Quinn most of the day and I get some good packing in. It just feels like it's never ending.

With Quinn, I've decided not to just 'pack it all up' and live bare bones as I'm trying to not disrupt him too much. When we painted and the house was up-side-down, we could see how it effected him, so I've been cautious while packing.

This weekend is the final push though - hopefully he can handle it for the week after. I'm praying to be DONE by monday night so Quinn and I can go say our goodbyes to Crissy & the boys on Tue (stat holiday), and on wed maybe go see Madagascar 2, then Thursday is moving day.


Craziness with a three year on top! But he's so awesome, so far so good - we'll see how he reacts with all the changes in Calgary...



OH, I almost forgot. So yesterday I did a internet search on preschools in Calgary.... I found one in Wellington Square! (MOM lives in Wellington Estates!). Can you believe it? So convenient! So tue/thur 9-11:30 :) They have room for him and are excited for a meet and greet upon our arrival.



That's it for now....

Halloween 2008

tFun was had by all....

We carved 2 pumpkins. I am extremely pleased and proud of my pumpkin-head horseman! It turned out very good, especially considering how fast I did it!


Quinn was a Dolphin, a costume cousin Benny gave him. He loved it! Was so cute! I went to his preschool halloween party. That was loud and crazy but fun.

Took Quinn around the complex with a neighbor then he helped hand out candy. :)




All is well on the homefront. T-Minus 12 days till moving moving. I'm off work on friday so what's not packed, will be soon after!

Castle Fun Park

Last sunday, we decided to finally head over to 'Castle Fun Park', one of Abbotsfords only tourist/family attractions. Never been as we thought Quinn was too little, and assumed it would be ghetto as it's been there forever... surprisingly, we had the place to our selves!

It has 3 large and very impressive 18 hole mini gold courses. 1 outdoors, and 2 indoor (underground) theme courses (Under the Sea and the Jungle). There are also bumper cars, go- carts, batting cages, golf cages, huge arcade, kiddie games and other various fun stuff. We had a fantastic time.






We played our first round of mini golf with Quinn in the under the sea room. He scored TWO holes in 1! Having no traffic in front or behind us, we had an awesome game and were able to goof around and take our time. :) I am glad we went to check it out.




The Sale of our home is FIRM, done deal, just need to deal with the lawyers and such now. We never did paint the basement!! Woo-hoo!

I've been packing a bit every day. Next week will be full steam ahead. We've hired movers, using the same movers who brought us out here. Decided it was worth the extra bucks to have a stress free trip over the mountains, so we'll just have to worry about ourselves the car & van, not a truck and all our stuff! The money we spend will be re-cooped at tax time.

So moving day will be Thursday Nov. 13. Lair's last day at work. I will take Quinn to school, come home, meet the movers and get them started, then I will go get my hair done and maybe a pedicure :) Now that's my idea of how moving day should be!

Now we need to find mini-storage in Calgary for our stuff, this weekend we'll scour the internet for the best deal and safest facility.


Man are we ever getting excited!



xoxoxo

SOLD (Updated with details)

Well, that was a lot faster than we anticipated! We were expecting the house to sit on the market until at least January - March!

It's been a horrible experience (unlike our other real estate experiences where we laughed all the way to the bank)... In the end, we feel like we've been taken advantage of.

This was definatley a depressing experience. We are very lucky that it sold in 17 days, so NO complaints there as we were leaving for Calgary regardless of the sale for Dec. 1st! We seriously planned for it to sit on the market until Jan-march.


So we had a live buyer on the line. We listed it 10K less than we were hoping to; First offer came in almost 25K under list price (which was 10K less than what we wanted in the first place)... We countered; they countered; we countered; they gave a final offer...

We reluctantly took it. We asked our realtor, if it sat on the market for 30-90 days, what kind of price reductions would he suggest in that time.... He said $5000-10000+.... We decided to take what we could get now instead of risking a major loss later.


I feel violated. By the time commissions, fees, lawyers, etc are paid out, we will have lost most of our home equity which was our down pmt for a calgary home. So we're kind of ^$&#ed right now. :(

The only good thing out of all this is at least we will be in Calgary. Sigh :(

Not sure what we are going to do. We stay with mom till the new year to save some coin/pay down some debt. Need to talk to Jen to see what we qualify for with what down payment we have and have a pow wow with Tom about the Calgary Real Estate market. I am quite deflated that this is proving to be in my mind, disastrous... Again, at least it's disastrous in Calgary....


Our possession date is Nov 15 - so we'll be in calgary then - Lair may have to stay behind and work another week or 2 before he transfers over to AG...

I am quite numb. I feel like I am Free-falling without a parachute :(

Phew! Everybody knows now!

So things at work have been a bit stressful for everybody. A few weeks ago the Facility Manager was fired. He'd been there 20+ years and was a few years away from retirement. Since then, other big wigs from head office have taken over and they've been interviewing everybody and getting us to do anonomous employees reviews on our fellow work mates, do our own self-evaluation, have round tables in a safe off the record environment... over all, it just feels 'off' there, like we're waiting for the Axe to fly. So for me, being the part-time admin support, I have felt like I would be the first to go, so I was waiting to tell them until november as I was afraid they'd can me on the spot now if I told them.

Today my Boss, the office supervisor, wanted to have a 1 on 1. Before we got started, I told her everything. She is very happy for us and sorry to see me leave. We had a quick chat about work, then just talked about everything going on in my life. She will be very accomodating to my departure. I gave an end date as Nov 21, but this may change pending sale of house (like I may leave earlier or might stay an extra week or 2 into december; who knows!).



We had two showing on the place last night. No offers :( Still waiting for feedback.

Pumpkin Patch & Thanks Giving

We had a pretty good Thanks Giving weekend so far. It was absolutely gorgeous on saturday so we headed out to "The Apple Barn Pumpkin Farm"... Here's a pic of my 'Punkin' with the pumpkins! They have U-pick Pumpkins, apples, plums, farm animals, hay rides, pony rides, Trike Farm, Marshmallow Zipline, Jumping Pillow, orchard tours, Cider Mill, Veggie stand, Honey Bees, Store and concession. It was a lot of fun we had a fun afternoon!

Quinn picked out his own Pumpkin. Found it in the middle and off to the side of the patch. We were glad he chose one his size and not any bigger!



Today was laid back and quiet, just chilled and relaxed. I cooked a nice Prime Rib for dinner with Yorkshires and cauliflower casserole. Made the rub from Olive Oil with fresh chopped Garlic, Oregano, Garlic, Basil, Garlic, Rosemary, Garlic, Parsley, did I say GARLIC? :) And the Yorkshires came out great - didn't even fall after they came out of the oven! (I could easily eat all 12!)...


I am Thankful that this will be the LAST Family Holiday where we are alone with no extended family of friends..... I am thankful for Lawrence and Quinn the most amazing Beings in my life, and I truly thankful for our Families Health and of course, the trek back to Calgary.

Lair has to work tomorrow. Not sure what Quinn and I will do. Was thinking maybe one last trip to the Zoo or maybe go swimming. Who knows.



Happy Thanksgiving!

My head is spinning!

Oh my Gosh My head is spinning! So All of August and September we've been primping the house and trying to organize and strategise to get the house on the market and us to Calgary.

So here we are, October, the house is on the market (MLS# F2828851), Lair starts his new job Dec. 1, so now we need to get to calgary. So this weekend will be full steam ahead pack & purge.But, we need to pack for two things: <1> our temporary situation which could be a few weeks or a few months.... and
<2>our full move to our new home.

Ug, trying to think of what we'll need for 3 months is tough. Clothes, pillows/bedding, bed? (will probably buy a futon in calgary); will probably bring Quinn's bed as he misses it lots when we travel; I need to find out if mom has certain kitchen items; Our cpt, printer, speakers, PVR.... TV? It will be so hard to say good bye to our beautiful flat gorgeous baby.... toys? books? Yikes.

I guess we will have to use the mentality we do when packing for a vacation - once we are gone - if we need something and don't have it, we either buy it, or didn't need it that bad....


WINTER.... Am I ready for it? didn't miss it one bit... The visual beauty of winter and the crispness in the air will be nice - the big Blue sky.... But the cold and slush and crappy roads.... :( So, I keep reminding myself of how much FUN I had in Winter as a KID.... Spending HOURS outside in the snow....

Am I ready for 'The Big City' again? My life has been centered around Abbotsford this year - no traffic, everything you need is literally 15 minutes from my door (the whole city is only 20 minutes driving radius...)....

LOL - who am I kidding, I am a PROUD CALGARIAN! I am sure we will slide right back into things; will be interesting with Quinn in toe. Will be cool to see it through new eyes.

He adjusts well and travels very well. I just hope this move won't be too hard on him. Right now he is in Montessori 5 days a week and learning so much! I hate to shake up his little life but it will be for the best. Better now than when he's actually in school! One of the first things I will need to do is find a temporary pre-school class for him near moms that is cheap (as I won't be working yet) and I won't worry about a permanent spot until we buy a place and settle in one area.

So I gotta think about packing for December, packing and staging the house (maybe finding a temp renter to help off set the costs), finding a pre-school for Quinn, not driving mom crazy, selling the van and getting a cheaper reliable 4 door car (BTW - the van is for sale if you know anyone looking!), finding a job in the new year, buying a new place in Cowtown, flying back here to do the final move (U-haul or mover?), Moving again, settling, and finding a school for Quinn... Just to name a few things on my plate... Sigh.

Will be nice to have cheaper car insurance (Meloche Monnix how I've missed you!), cheaper gas, health care paid for.... :) Higher wages! We're trying to sell in the suckiest time in Abbotsford - however, we welcome the soft market in calgary as it will be cheaper for us to buy - so in the end it will even out. I'm hoping the calgary market declines considerably in the next few months so we can get into a newer development (We're looking mostly at Townhouses).

Oh - we've hired a painter to paint our basement.

So this is going to be painted the light color on far wall.... Sigh.







A year ago today we were in the Mayan Riviera... Quinn wasn't talking yet! I can't believe how much he has grown as an individual. He is such a nice boy. Very thoughtful and careing, sincere and considerate....


I digress. It's bedtime.... Thanks for reading my random babble. Just needed to get some things out of my head before bed.

"I'll be HOME for Christmas".... literally! We're moving back to CALGARY!

Well Lisa, you asked for it, so here it is! Where do I begin...

In January, Lawrence & I decided that as a family, we are happy, but as a family and 2 individuals in BC, we are both ridiculously miserable and lonely, missing our friends and family.

We went to Calgary in January, February, May and July......

In May, we decided we needed to sit down and create an 'Exit Strategy' and start thinking about packing it up and heading East (It's sure a lot more difficult and complicated than when we left!).

Upon our return after our July visit, we were 100% committed to making it happen and making it happen FAST.


AUGUST: In early august. Lawrence told his boss we wanted to move back to Calgary so he may be job hunting - just in case it got back to him (it's a small industry, word travels fast). He also told his boss how he really does like the company he works for, their ideologies and business practice, and was wondering what the chances were of an opportunity at their sister company in Calgary ('AG' Associated Grocers).

His boss then started to talk to the AG guys. a few weeks later, they told Lair they would Create a position for him and to hang tight while all the details were hashed out...

We spent the month purging items we didn't want/need anymore. I had a virtual garage sale on Craiglist/Kijiji and sold TONS of random household items & baby stuff and made a fair penny! We started talking with Jen Mikla about mortgages and Tom Sherry about Calgary Real Estate. Tom referred a local Realtor who we met with to chat about Abbotsford Real Estate.

Lair replaced 7 light fixtures, we updated all the door knobs and closet handles. So August came and went. We were pretty disappointed as we had full intentions of listing our place for Sept 01.

SEPTEMBER: We decided to freshen the WHOLE main floor (Excluding 1/2 bath), stairwell top to bottom and upper hallway with new (boring neutral) paint. First we were going to get a painter in ($1000+), then decided to tackle it ourselves, saving the money for the move. What an ordeal! Week nights we were unable to do anything until Quinn was in bed, and 2 full weekends we sent him off to a sitter and worked none stop. We got it done, but man, what a chore. The house was upside down for so long; It was pretty hard on us.

In mid Sept, work got back to Lawrence with a drafted idea. If he was willing to leave the Buyers position and go back into the Warehouse side of things, they want him to go into a Supervisory/Produce Quality Control roll. Lair said sure.

Sept 24, a big-wig from Alberta came out here to officially outline and offer Lawrence the job. :) And he accepted! They won't pay for our move as we asked, however, the new roll includes and extra week of holidays and a $5000/year raise. They have asked him to start on December 1st if possible!

October. On the 1st we listed our home. This was good news/bad news. The good news is, our house is on the market. The bad news is, the market is terrible right now for selling. Being that we have to take off in +/- 60 days, we can't list high and gamble that we will get any bites. So we've listed pretty much at Fair Market Value. We bought the place 23 months ago for #231,500... We are asking $237,555... I was pretty disappointed as I was really hoping to ask $247k... :( Boo.... As well, there are 3 unit up in our complex. Let's just hope that our shows the best and it is priced right.

Our Real Estate team is helping a friend start their home staging business. They are offering a complimentary consultation (Usually $100/hr). He came over today. We've done a pretty good job so far, only a few minor suggestions to help it show a little better. But 2 MAJOR suggestions that suck.

#1, paint the basement a neutral color. Now we are not stupid, we totally understand why, but we were thinking whoever moves in will just paint over it (like we did when we moved in). But the Stagger brought up a good point. It may only truly appeal to 50% (or less) of any potential buyers... the other other half may totally disregard our unit because (a) they hate the color, and (b) think it would be too much work/$$ to paint over it....

So, it looks like we will have to cave and paint the rumpus room a dull boring bland color. We understand that it has to be done to help attract buyers. This would be a Big project and by the time we add up child care, paint, more supplies and Time - it's not worth it for us to do it. We will get some painters in to Quote it - if they can do it for under $500 we'll get them to do it.

Suggestion #2 - to paint over Quinn's mural... :(

I really really really don't want to do this (yet).... The demographic of who will be buying this place is a Young Family. I'm hoping a young family comes in and sees it and fall in love with it for their child....

As well, Quinn's life is about to be completely turned upside down, I want to keep as much normalcy as possible until the move....

So we will talk it over with the Realtor. I want to here the feedback after a few showings before I send Lair in there with a paint roller.... :( Meh.



SO - that's pretty much it. Now we are getting ready to pack up what we can, and try to keep our place in 'show home' condition for the next two months.



OH - I guess I left out some pretty important details about the move.


So, originally, I wanted to move back to Calgary and NOT tell my MOM! I was going to unpack and settle for a week, then tell her I was popping into town and have her come to my 'friends' place then tell her.... Ya, LOL, I think that would have been awesome....

BUT, things are not going to be so smooth.

Real Estate in Abbotsford is sitting on the market for 3-4 months.... So originally we were thinking Lair would head to Calgary, start his new job and couch surf for a week at a time from friend to friend while Quinn and I stayed here, packed and tried to sell the house...

Ya, right. Well, there is no way I could handle being stuck here over the holidays in the rain separated from my soul mate and Quinn would definatly have a hard time being away from daddy.

So what were our other options... Well, we can't buy a place until this place sells. So do we move and temporarily rent?.... No way - we'd still be paying our full mortgage and utils for a vacant home in BC - can't afford any rent...


hmmm...... Well I didn't surprise mom the way I had wanted.... The only way we can do it would be to find somewhere to stay, virtually rent free, could be a few weeks, could be a few months.... So I called my mom.... and Bless her heart, she said yes. She's a little dumb-founded and shocked, but said yes none the less. THANK YOU MOM!! THANK YOU MOM!! THANK YOU MOM!! THANK YOU MOM!! THANK YOU MOM!! THANK YOU MOM!! THANK YOU MOM!!

Seriously, this is pretty much the most feasible way we can all be there before Christmas. So I've asked her to clear out her spare room the best she can and we'll come with a few suitcases of clothes and a few books and toys.

Now, it doesn't get any easier. What do we do with our stuff? Originally we thought we would move and put it into storage, but the Realtor and the Home Stager both suggested that a Furnished home shows much better than a vacant home. So perhaps we will just pack everything up, put the boxes in our storage room and keep the basic furniture etc out for showing.

Once the place sells, we will have a possession date - this gives us that amount of time to find and Buy a place in Calgary - fly out here and make the actual move.


Geez, could it get any more complicated????



K. I think those are all the thoughts I need to get out of my head for now. I feels SO good to poor it out!


In conclusion. We love and miss you all. We'll be home for Christmas. Please pray our place will SELL FAST and for close to the ASKING PRICE!


I don't have time to re-read this to make sure it makes sense, so hopefully it does.


xoxoxoxox

Melanie

Buttons and tears.

So last night Quinn wanted to wear his "Little old Man Jammies" (2 piece with button up shirt). He usually does the bottom buttom then gives up on the rest. Last night he spent a good 15+ minutes to do up all the buttons by himself. A few times he asked me to show him how, then to un-do it so he could do it.

Finally he got them all buttoned up and he was so proud of himself! He ran downstairs to tell Lawrence all about it. It made my eyes leak...



Where does the time go!?

Happy Birthday Melanie, You Rule!

Well, my birthday has come and gone in a flash.

I turned 34. Not too sure how I feel about that. It feels like just yesterday I celebrated my 26th birthday at More Honey where my Chosen Families social networks all came together as one.

I bought myself a cake, I got the lady to write "Happy Birthday Melanie, You Rule!" on it :) It was good, too much iceing though.

Friday I dropped Quinn off at Crissy's for the whole weekend. That night we went for beer & wings at Wings. Scott, Dee, Mike, Amber and Karen Allen joined us. Afterwards we headed home and Alex joined us. Good times! We had lots of fun. Everyone slept over. We had a nice visit on saturday. Mike & Amber headed home, and just before dinner Karen had to head back to Vancouver. We went for dinner then a walk at Mill Lake then sat up visiting all night. It was really nice.

Sunday everyone headed home and we slept ALL DAY, finally picking up Quinn at 6. I think the best part of the weekend (other than good company), was just being able to relax and not be on 'Parent Mode'...

We're pretty beat today, and honestly not feeling very well (LOL, I'm not 26 anymore!).

No one mentioned to my face what a shitty day Sept. 11 was for a birthday, first year it went pretty much un noticed.



Not much to report. It's been 30 degrees everyday. Hot during the day, cools off at night. Quinn's loving pre-school, though after his first full week has caught a cold ... the first of many I imagine.

Im still totally digging my 4 hour shift, but I haven't seen a small paycheck yet - it will be tough. We really has to get off our butts and sell the mini van! Get that debt off our sholders and buy a futz-futz car instead. Anyone want a mini-van?!



Love to you all. Thanks for all the b-day calls, e-mails, messages!


xoxo

Melanie

New shift... 9am - 1pm

Thank Heavens, my crappy afternoon/evening shift is almost over!

Starting monday, I should be working 9am - 1pm and Quinn will start his preschool.

I have been run ragged - you can see it in my eyes and the bags under them... This summer has been so off. I am truly greatful for being able to spend most of the day with Quinn, but then working a full shift and not seeing Lawrence sucked... a lot!




Not sure I could ever do this again. :( I just want to be with my family!

Not much going on.

I don't have much to update... Quinn's doing very well Potty Learning. Other han really quick trips out, we still haven't tried outside the house in underwear. We'll start that next week when he starts Pre-school!

I really want to start doing Yoga again. I just haven't given myself the time. Perhaps in September when my shift chances. I would like to try it with Quinn.

In September my hours are cut in half and I will only be working part time. I sure hope we can pull this off financially!

We are going to sell the van. It will hopefully be listed by this friday. We had an inspection report done and it passed with flying colors. It will be nice to have that debt off our shoulders. Once it sells we will run out and try to find a $2000 car as our 2nd car.

That's all I have to report for now!

xoxox I miss and love you guys very much!

Potty Learning!!

So here we are - 6 days in a row - in undies all day/evening, pull ups for Nap/bedtime and a clean dry bum!

This is so exciting! Quinn is FINALLY using the potty on his own! We are so proud of him!

I will give it a few weeks, then we'll have to try leaving the house in undies and useing the public toilet! (EW!) This is going to be a tough one!

It will be nice to have that extra $$ was save not buying pull ups!

Swimming hole, Jet Fighters, and Date night!

Last week was a busy week - in the yay we're having fun busy kind of way!

Quinn and I went to Aldergrove Lake, a small man-made filtered 'lake' (more like a huge outdoor swimming pool) surrounded by beach in the middle of trees. Very nice setting!

A million kids though - this isn't a place you would go if you were kidless! So, a million kids, and a swimming hole - means a million X the Pee!! EEEWWWWWW.

It was 30 degrees, it was hard enough to let Quinn in the water, but it was so hot and Quinn wanted me to swim with him... So I let go of the reality of yuck and enjoyed the moment of summer fun with Quinn. We had a blast. Swam for about an hour or so, then he happily played in the sand. I was really wishing Ursula & the kids were by my side. :(

The Abbotsford airshow was this past weekend. The whole week prior we had Jet Fighters sonic booming over our heads. I thought it was really cool, but the novelty started wearing thin, especially when they were flying so low over our HOUSE! It was so loud. As cool as it was, it hurt Quinn's ears. He was scared, but not.

We filled his little pool in the backyard. It didn't warm up as much as I thought it would, but he still had fun. So much in fact that he decided to do the full Monty.


Our babysitter went home to Denmark so we haven't really gotten out so I found a new babysitter. A mature lady, just moved here from Edmonton. Quinn is quite fond of her. So Lair and I went to Restaurant 62, one of Abbotsfords few Finer dining establishments.

It was nice. A little 'unpolished' when you compare it to a few high end eateries in Calgary (and compare it to Hell's Kitchen! LOL)... However, the food was great. We got a free Appatiser (Lobster Bisque Soup) because they ran out of Lemons for my long island ice tea. I had a 14oz Rib Eye and Lawrence had a rack of Lamb... <-- WHAT Lawrence ate meat? That's right my friends, he fell off the vegetable wagon ;)

I will go back, but only because we try a sampler appy dish, and their short rib melted in our mouths - I gotta get me some more of those!

After our dinner we headed off to see the Dark Knight. Loved it!


So that's about it from our neck of the woods.


I have two summer wishes, 1) to drink beer on a patio with my friends, 2) to play in Reily Park wading pool with Quinn....



Sigh... :(

Quiet time... too good to be true.

Quinn has been having a hard time getting in his afternoon naps because we need to be up and out the door during his regular nap time... So instead, he has 1 hour of "Quiet Time", which usually consists of me going upstair 4+ times in 1 hour telling him it's QUIET time, not run all over the upper floor time....


Today however, I only had to go up there twice. I was so pleased. I figured he was either sleeping, or playing quietly in his bed. I was prepared to give him an extra special nummy snack. I approached his door, ready to enter beeming with love & adoration for him being such a good boy.... I open the door and.... No Quinn. Huh?

So I peep into our room thinking he tucked himself into mommy & daddy's bed to nap..... No Quinn. I walk into the bathroom.... no Quinn. I hear something. It's coming from the spare room. The spare room which he never goes into. The spare room that I keep the door closed all the time.......

I open the door.... He looks up and smiles and waves "Hi Mom" he says as he is sitting on the bed covered in ripped Christmas wrapping paper surrounded by all his no-longer pre-wrapped Christmas gifts from Nan....(which were in a tied black garbage bag). I had to contain myself as this was amusing and quite cute, but I was quite mad.

After a stern talking to, I made him sit in his room for another 15 minutes... I don't think he knows what he did was wrong... I hope he doesn't do it again. Now I have to re-wrap all these gifts!

Agra-Fair

It's "agra-fair' time in Abbotsford. Pretty much a a mini stampede but the focus is mainly on "Agra" stuff, antique & modern tractors, 4H clubs critters, farming, + expensive rides, games, food and drinks.

Yesterday was a beautiful day. We went at 11am, hoping to beat the crowds, and to go to the rides before it was overtaken by teenagers... omg, did I just say that?!? Once there, we decided it wasn't worth the price for the rides, but there was a 'Kid-zone' full of Boingy Castles so we steared him that way and he had a blast. Man Boingy Castle have sure changed since I was a kid! They are so cool!

This fair has family potential, maybe when Quinn is a little older he/we would have enjoyed it more. But there were many firsts for him. We shared a Corn Dog, a Shaved Ice Cone and Cotton candy!



We saw all sorts of farm critters, including some rediculously cute miniature ponies, and some piggies.


In conclusion... Quinn had fun. :)

The briefest glimpse that left me happy.

I was napping on the couch with Quinn this morning. I was in a very light sleep when I had a dream. Now, I'm not saying it was a vision, or a visit, it was just one of the 2 second dreams.

I was standing in my living room, looking at the front door. The door opened, and it was Sean, in a very blue shirt with a very big smile on his face....

My thought was YAY SEAN! I woke with a jolt, eyes opened wide and a very happy feeling.

Like I said, I'm not saying this was anything overly Significant; I think my subconscious brain was just trying to cheer me up. Thinking of that smile... makes me smile.

Celebrating Life. mourning death and enjoying family and friends...

My quick trip to Calgary was exhausting to say the least! I was such a wreck here all by myself after I heard about Sean. I contained myself on the flight to Calgary, but the moment my suitcase came out, I lost it; luckily mom was right outside waiting for me... I just hugged her and cried. She said "there's a little boy in the car who wants to see his mommy"; I can't remember if I said it, or thought it, but my response was "I need MY mommy" and hugged her even harder and longer.

Friday night was the wedding rehersal. It was nice to see everybody and have a visit, except I felt so awful, still hurting about Sean; I didn't want to bring it up or talk because I didn't want to ruin such a happy occasion. It was hard to keep my composure, but managed. Quinn didn't do too well with the whole walk down the isle thing, it had me quite worried (and embarrassed).... :( We've been talking about this with him since Easter, and he's been super excited to be Brent's little helper, carrying the pillow with rings, but he just didn't want to cooperate with walking down the isle.

Saturday was long. Quinn got to get ready with the Groomsmen. They all looked super fantastic! They rode in a Limo Bus to Heritage Park and Quinn got to go too! We met them there and they did photos. It was tiring trying to keep Q happy, and the few pics he was in, he wouldn't cooperate... again :( and embarrassing. But hey, what can you do, he's 3!

He did the best he could do walking down the isle.... well, walked a bit, threw the pillow (thank God the real rings weren't on it) then ran the rest of the way! Lair had to chase him to the back where we tried to keep him settled to enjoy the ever so beautiful wedding. It was hard as he was tired, cranky, hungry, uncomfortable, etc...

When the ceremony was over, I 100% lost it! Lair had to tend to Quinn for pictures while I sat in the van on the phone with my mom... Sean's funeral was at 7pm. The ceremony was at 6:15 and I think ran a bit late. There was no way I could get there in time, as well I was too upset to drive. I asked mom to watch Quinn, Lair dropped him off while I cried on a few shoulders (thanks everybody!). I hadn't really spoken to anyone about how I felt about the situation with Sean as I was trying to stay focused on the wedding, so this was my release.

I got it under control in time for dinner and Lair made it back in time too! I calmed down and enjoyed a wonderful meal, basking in the love of Mr. & Mrs. Brent & Chrystal Boychuck. There was a touching slide show and the dance was a lot of fun.

Afterwards we ended up at a post wedding house party. Again, I lost it, taking about an hour (?) to talk/cry/rant/mourne... then I just kind of went numb...

Sunday we were both really hung over. Mom was nice enough to watch Q till the mid afternoon. We then headed over to Karen & Steves for a BBQ. So now am I exhausted from the wedding and dealing with Quinn, all the days of crying, and I'm hung over and sleep deprived... Sorry y'all; You know I love you guys but I just didn't think I could take it anymore - I just needed SLEEP!

Monday morning, James, Christy, Alex and us went for Breakfast. That was awesome! Then we headed off on our long drive home. Quinn was a very good boy. We left Downtown Calgary at 10:00am, stopped on the side of the highway about 40 minutes later to change Q's bum(!), then pushed through to Golden, stopped for some ice cream and a stretch, Q slept past Revelstoke and woke up just in time to stop at the Enchanted Forrest :) It was a nice hour break. Q's energy was super high and drained us even more, but he had fun. Stopped in Salmon Arm for Lunch/dinner and was home by 9pm.

What a trip. I am still lost and confused over Sean, but there is nothing I can do at this point so I will reflect on all that was good and be thankful we have a new Guardian Angel to watch over us and for me to Pray to.

I am thankful for my friends and family. I hope everyone knows how much I really love and appreciate everybody.

R.I.P. my dear friend Sean...

Well, the day just didn't start the way I ever imagined it could.

I woke up, went onto Facebook, and BOOM, my life changed. Sean Lineham has passed away... All I know at this point is, I've been told he took his life last night.

WTF? How can it be? Is it true? He just happily celibrated his 30th birthday.... and now he's dead? Did he seriously kill himself? Or maybe was there a traggic accident? I am just at a loss as to how I feel...

His Blog and such shows no signs of anything to come as such.

I am extreamly sad and angry because I go to Calgary tomorrow.... TOMORROW!

We are supposed to get together for coffee and and a chat and hug. If it was suicide, what if he gathered with friends and felt alive again? It may have been stopped....

BUT, what if it were an accident? Bad drugs? Drunk and fell? Who knows, maybe it was an anyorism or heart attack!? I need answers. I hope we get some answers soon; I really feel lost not knowing the whole storey.

I'm coming to Calgary to celebrate a wedding... last thing I expected was to say goodbye to a friend. If there is a funeral, I hope I can attend.

R.I.P. Sean. I know You know you are one of my favorite People. I guess now you are one of my families gaurdian Angels.

Namaste. :(

Life without Quinn and Lawrence

... Thursday morning at 7:30am I waved goodbye to Lair & Quinn who were driving to Calgary for their summer holiday... I wept off and on for awhile.... :( When I got my new job in May, I told them of our July vacation plans and they told me they couldn't hire me if I planned to take the 12 days I asked for; we compromised at 5 days... So I am here alone and the boys are in Alberta.

It's pretty quiet here! I can't believe I lived alone for 8 years! How did I do it!

I haven't done much of anything other than relax and watch movies. Guess I should actually clean up the house tomorrow. Wednesday I will pack and thursday I fly to Calgary. I can't wait to see Quinn! the longest we've been apart was 4 nights/5 days. This trip will be 7 nights/8 days!! In fact, I've never been away from Lawrence this long either! I've talked to Quinn every night. I can't wait to cuddle and hold him and kiss and cuddle Lawrence! But I must admit, I'm sure enjoying sleeping in our bed alone - star fish to every corner! LOL

Sunday was our six year wedding anniversary <3 It was sad being a part for it, but we did talk on the phone.

Calgary will be busy with Brent & Chrystals wedding; before I know it we will be driving home. Wish I could visit longer. Oh well, nothing I can do about it but the make the best of the time I have when I'm there!

Harrison Lake Day Trip

On saturday we packed up the van and headed to Harrison Lake, about 45 minutes from home. we lucked out and got a great parking spot. We found a spot on the grass, beside the sand beach so we could relax while Quinn played. Quinn put on his water wings and we ventured into the water. It was fantastic. Had a great time. Unfortunately, about an hour later, Quinn started shivering, so it was time to get out and warm him up! Next time we will bring the little wet suit Benny gave him, then he should be able to stay in a little longer :)

We forgot our camera so no photos, however, it was such a beautiful 'family day' it will forever be one of our memories :)

Update? Yikes! MAY & JUNE

Sorry guys, I've been procrastinating, summer is here, honestly I haven't been on the computer that much!


So a recap, MAY: I finished working for Cellcom. In doing so I also said goodbye to my Cell phone contract and haven't resigned. I feel naked and a little lost sometimes without a cell, but really, it's getting easier!

Our trip to Alberta was great. We did a lot of driving but it was worth it. Saw lots of family and friends. We had a Beer & Wing gathering with over 25 Stellar peeps! A fantastic group came out to say hello. Lair was actually in town on business so many of his days were spent at a trade show. We made it to Medicine Hat, Calgary, Red Deer and the Farm (one of my most favorite spots in the world)!

May 24th - the Parenteau invasion – Sky diving! Ursula cooked up a plan to surprise Albert. They arrived at our home and didn't even get their shoes off when we left to an unknown destination - 10 minutes from our house is the Vancouver Skydiving Ranch! Clayton, a good friend of theirs came to jump too! Albert had no idea until we pulled into the parking lot and Ursula told him he was jumping too! They both had an awesome time and loved it. Clayton said he will most likely join me again for my birthday jump in September (this time I will get the professional Video!). [if you wish to donate $$ for this, please feel free to send it my way! ha ha ha]. Speaking of video, this is one I took with my camera once the chute was open. The spins you see are a CRAZY ride, we're talking 360's, whipping around, awesome fun!

No sooner did we say goodbye to the Parenteaus, we were saying Hello to James and Christy who came to Vancouver for the weekend. We had an afternoon at the beach!

Scott and Quinn dug a tunnel big enough for Quinn's truck to go through! Fun times were had by all.

We interrupt this Blog entry with a song...



JUNE: I started my new job at VersaCold. I'm totally digging the 10 minute drive! Training has been mentally exhausting but I think I am doing ok. I'm in the shipping office but am being cross trained on most positions as come september I will be a part-time floater. For June I trained full time hours 8-4:30.

We've had some fun weekends. We ran into a HUGE random street party in Burnaby so people watched and hung out for the afternoon. We went to a miniature railway and rode a little train.

For FATHERS DAY we went to the Zoo.












TIRED BOY BELOW!











On June 20th, me, Dee, Chrystal and Nicole packed up the van and headed off to the Shuswap for Chrystal's house boating stagette extravaganza - Missy Mayhem! 16 beautiful girls and a non-stop party! WOO-HOO! It was ridiculous fun!




June 26 was QUINN's THIRD BIRTHDAY!

3.... can you believe it?

We celebrated by going to Playland, a waterpark, and had a BBQ.

We interrupt this Blog entry with another song...

JULY: Quinn and I went to the Abbotsford Canada Day Parade. It was 'Cute', but absolutely no comparison to the Stampede Parade! We had a heat wave for a few days. It was so hot in the house that we had a picnic in the basement and slept there too!

I started my new shift this week. Until it gets busier, I will work 4pm - 8 pm. This is awesome! I can spend all day with Quinn, go to work, and come home in time to tuck him in. I wish this could be my permanent shift! However, when it gets busy, I will work 4pm till Midnight (july & aug only)! It will be hard on me as Quinn is up at 7am, so regardless what time I get home and sleep, I will have to be up early! So I plan to nap when he naps in the afternoon. Come Sept, I will work 9am-1pm and Quinn will be in Montessori pre-school during this time :)

We're trying to Potty Train - I can't believe he's 3 and not potty trained! He was going on the potty at Crissy's (the girl who watched him full time when I was working at Cellcom), but he refuses to go on the potty at home. So we are back to square one.









So that's about it for now!

Perhaps instead of a weekly update, a monthly update would be more suitable!


Love to you all, we love and miss you all.