How to Train your Dragon

Yesterday Lair suggested we take Quinn to see 'How to Train your Dragon' in 3D. Normally I would hem and haw about the money, but sometime you have to splurge. So when I got home I changed from work and we headed out again. Got our tickets and grabbed a slice of pizza, then got popcorn and went in.

The theatre was probably half full and mostly families/boys Ages 4-10.

It was pretty high action in my opinion, maybe a little over the top for what I would like Quinn to see, but we knew what it was about and a PG movie. It was rated a 3 violence on the www.kidsinmind.com website I use as a gage for movies.... I felt this was more than 3, but maybe I am too sensitive.

Quinn totally love love loved it. He now wants a 2 headed dragon. He said it can stay in the attic but we'll need a ladder so he can get in and out.

We all had fun and it was a nice family outing.

Small world.

This morning a guy came into the office on business. While waiting for someone to come down, he says:

Is your name is Melanie? (I have a name plaque and say my name when answering the phone)...

Me. Yes.

Guy. I thought I recognized you....

Me. Confused, don't recognize him

Guy. I was married to your cousin Cheryl... Brandon is out in the truck!

It was Craig. My cousin Cheryl Ex, and Brandon is my 2nd cousin from the farm. I still remember when Brandon was born. I remember Great Grandpa Bamber came to the farm to meet him.

Craig finished up what he was doing here and called Brandon to come inside. It was nice to see him; haven't seen him since my Uncles Funeral 3 years ago. We had a quick chit chat and they went along their way.

That was a nice way to start my monday =)

Dave

Last week, out of the blue, Quinn says "I miss Dave" .... So we talked about him for a bit. I told him his birthday was coming up (March 21). Quinn said "Is his birthday canceled now that he's dead?". (out of the mouths of babes)... I told him no, it wasn't canceled, it was still a day for celebration of his life.

So his birthday was this past weekend. It was a bit emotional for me. I know we're supposed to celebrate and remember with Joy those who've passed, but I am still grieving and missing him horribly. I haven't been able to come to terms with it all quite yet. I still have pains in my tummy and get a lump in my throat and still have tears to shed.





Meh :'(

Medical Records

In October, I contacted both the Abbotsford Hospital and the BC Children's Hospital and requested Quinn's files be released for our own personal records.

The Abbotsford hospital sent theirs before Christmas and I've been patiently waiting for the one from BC Children's.


It finally arrived last week and I now know why it took so long; the file is seriously an inch thick! I took some time to read through everything. The memories flooded back of that stressful time... The longest, scariest week of my life! Even more so than our Cancer scare!

I will never forget the feeling in my stomach when I realized something was seriously wrong.... And even worse, when I linked it to his leg issue a few days prior... I remember telling the triage nurse I thought he was having a stroke and that he may have had one a few days prior. That night was just crazy... the Abbotsford Dr being shocked to actually see a case like this, the transfer ambulance ride felt like forever.... but as soon as he re-gained his mobility (6 hours later) we were still stressed, but feeling a little calmer! Then the next 7 days were very long, sad, and lonely.

We are ever so thankful for Scott and Dee, they were our 100% life line. Scott came to the hospital first thing in the morning to be with us. He kept us calm and grounded. Thanks Brother!!!!

I digress... I read through his files. They are indeed inconclusive as we were told. So I hang on to the belief that it was a Stroke of Genius and am ever so grateful that he is Happy and healthy!

Spring is in the air

My typical friday night is super mundane. I pay bills and take care of all household financials. Woo. Good times. Our pay days alternate so the household gets a paycheck every friday. It's pretty awesome and makes it easy to shuffle money around, but in order to know how much money we have for the weekend and following week, I have to do the financials on friday night.

Thanks to the weather, we had such a fantastic weekend. Saturday was turning out to be such a nice day that Quinn and I headed out around 10:30am on an adventure. We drove near the McKenzie Lake golf course to a Fish Creek Park Path (Across the River from Sicome Lake). Quinn brought a big bucket, we wore our boots and off we went on a nature walk. I was hoping to walk along the path and dawdle in the trees, but Quinn headed straight for the River and we spent several hours just throwing rocks and sticks in the river.

We then left and drove through McKenzie Lake then went to a school playground in McKenzie Town. It's awesome! We had lots of fun. We'll definatly go back there. Once Quinn's better on his bike we can ride there (it would be a pretty long walk). After an hour at the park we headed home for lunch.

Lair was home from work. We have a 6 foot tiger kite I bought at Costco a few years ago, never open the package, so Lair built the kite and we headed off to a nearby field... The kite lasted all but 6 seconds. It went up and came down, when it hit the ground the structural integrity was compromised... and then there were tears... So we hurried off to find a new kite. Canadian Tire didn't have any. Superstore didn't have any.... thankfully, Wal-Mart did! A $4 Plastic Optimus Prime kite. Back to the field and the day was saved. So nice to be out an about!

Saturday night Lair went out so Quinn and I got pizza and watched a movie.

Family Sunday! Hooray! Lair's sister and Fiancée were in town so we met them at Cora's for brunch then bid them farewell. We decided to check out the Science Centre.... Including parking, this cost $48 and I tell you, it was pretty hurtin. My guess is, a guided tour for 8-12 year olds might be cool, but the chaos of young kids & no sensicle order of viewing made it less than appealing. I will not waste my money again... However, that being said, they are building a new Science Centre near the zoo. Once that opens and the hype quiets down, I will give them a second chance.

Sunday evening I went to Owens baby shower. It was very nice; Great food, wine and conversation. I got to see Nicole, Deanna, Laine, and Candice. It was nice to the Grandmas with Owen.

I know it's no guarantee that winter is over, but this fresh air has sure put a bounce in my step.

Quinn has out grown his bike. We were able to raise the seat, but the handle bars don't go any higher! So we'll check Craigslist for a replacement. As well I'm wanting to get a Bike Buddy ASAP so we can go on longer (carefree) rides.

Can you believe I've been with AMEC for almost SIX months!? Time sure goes by so fast! And Quinn is growing so much! He amazes everyday with his size and knowledge! He is an incredible being! I am so proud of who he is. I am so proud of Lawrence & myself as I know we have a big part in who he is. So kind. So genuine.

I know the summer will fly by so fast. I want to make the best of it ... We will have to do as much as we can in and around town... We have seasons passes to Callaway Park so I predict several trips there. I really don't know if Motion Notion is in the cards this year which makes me sad, but time and money are precious this year as we need to save it for our October trip.

Speaking of which, Lair has a co-worker who said he may be able get us into a Disney resort for cheap through his time share. That would be an awesome money saver. I have butterflies in my stomach just thinking about this trip! I hope it all falls together as perfect as it is in my head!

Eyes are good.

I saw the optometrist last night. I was anxious and left happy and sad.

The good news is, my eyes are very healthy. My eye sight is still way better than 20/20 and inside and out are good and healthy... They even have a new machine that scans your eye and they can get a very intimate look at what's going on inside.

The bad news is... yes, indeed I do have quite a few floaters, especially in my right eye. He told me since it is not affecting my quality of life, i.e. it's not debilitating and I can still function well, that with any corrective measures, the cons would out weigh the pros... There is no treatment for floaters other than removing the vitreous (vitrectomy), a major operation with many risks... Eventually the option of having them blasted by a laser may be available, but is not suggested at this point.

Here is great vid I found . See the crap swirling around? That's what I have to look past ALL the time...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcHK9X0jZFY&feature=related

I have always had floaters. I've always been night blind. Before my laser eye surgery I was quite visually impaired. It's just frustrating. I am very happy to know my eyes are healthy, but I am quite upset that there is nothing we can do. I am frustrated and upset and sick and tired of trying to look past these fricken blobs in my eyes...

OK, enough of my wallowing. As the doc said, they are healthy, sorry about your luck, it is what it is... so all I can do is move forward.


And now for some humour:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfzVOx2uNQk&feature=related ;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QRCrZP5BS4&feature=related

Lair's birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETHEART!

Yesterday Lawrence turned 34.

YEAY FOR BEING BORN!




Speaking of being born, two friends had babies last week. Kyiel and Brandy welcomed Aurora here on Feb 16, and Janine and Mike welcomed Owen here on the 18. We are so happy for all of them! I can't wait to meet the babies! We also have some newly pregnant friends, due in October and a few others, both due in May. That's a lot of 2010 babies!



For Lairs birthday we had a bunch of friends over last night to watch the Canada v.s. USA Olympic hockey game. It was a TON of fun!!!! Too bad we didn't win though! I drank many a beer and I think every one had fun.

Family Day long weekend

We had lots of fun for Family Day Long weekend. Jeff, Jo-Ann and Anushka came down from Edmonton on saturday and left on monday.

Vik stopped in for a visit saturday evening.

On Sunday, Lair worked and the rest of us headed off for a quick trip to the zoo to see the animatronic Dinosaurs ('Dinosaur's Alive' display) on from now until october. It was pretty cool. 22 new dinos that move and roar. Quinn was quick to point out the Speakers in the bushes. Sigh. So no real 'magic' from the Dinos but he was impressed none the less. Poor Anna was not pleased with the load roaring. Jo-Ann told her they were 'just saying Hello', then Anna kept saying 'No Hello' every time we approached a dino. So cute! We saw a few of the animals then made our way home.

Karen & David and Dwayne & Marcie came over for a visit.

On Family day monday, it was so nice to wake up and hang out with Lawrence in the morning/ all day, quite novel since we don't have any days off together. We thought we would go to Cora's Restaurant for brunch. When we got there, there was a huge line up. Sowe opted to go home and make brunch, so I made French Toast and Lair made Egg's Benedict. It was delicious, cheaper and easier with the kids =)

After brunch we bid farewell to the Marvins and watched the Olympics!

A great long weekend!

Floaters

Floaters in the eye are random bits of protein (?) and other various organic matter (?) from your eyeball walls that detach and subsequently 'float' in the eye goo. I guess it is considered somewhat normal (but more so with old age).

I've been plagued with floaters in my eyes since I was a child. It's like having a gnat fly through your vision, except there isn't anything there, or like looking through lace or a veil, or a psychedelic haze (lol)... small shadows drift in and out of my field of vision constantly... of all shapes and sizes; spots, squiggles, lines, cobwebs.

My new Optometrist is aware of them (saw him almost a year ago) and he didn't express any concerns. However, as of late, it seems like there are more than usual. Especially when I'm reading, using the computer, or tired. They are so abundant these days I need to stop and wait for my vision to clear so I can read/type... I guess I should make another appointment to make sure everything is ok.

As far as I can tell my daytime eye sight is still very good (probably still better than 20/20, however my night vision, well, let's just say, I had a hard time seeing as I was folding (dark) laundry last night in dim light ... Sigh.

Note to self. Make apt. to see eye doc.

2010 vacation?

I get 3 weeks vacation (as does Lair). However, my vacation is 'accrued', so I can't just take 3 weeks in July. In fact I would be unable to take a full 3 weeks until Dec 31.... So this changes my ideas for summer vacation...


Originally I was hoping to do Motion Notion (Quinn-less) followed by a week of camping (with Quinn and hopefully friends)...

Guess that's out the window! :( I can not commit to MoNo. If I do make it up it won't be for the whole event :(


As for Camping, if it happens, it will be close to home and on the weekend. (Is it really worth the hassle for 30ish hours?).


2010 is the year of Financial freedom; well at least from Consumer debt, the truck and school is an acceptable debt.

So, if this is the year of financial Independence; trying to use only cash, no credit, no overdraft. The last year before we are starving students....

So then I had one more thought. We NEED to go to Disneyland/world THIS YEAR... If we don't do it before Lair is in University it may not be a hope until Quinn is much older.

So, I do believe we will go on one last major trip. I've ran the idea past Lair and he agrees. We have 9,000 airmiles, so hopefully this will alleviate some of the cost. I am thinking of going in October over Thanksgiving. Waiting this long will give me 11+ vacation days plus a stat holiday.

Kerri (Lair's sister) is getting married october 16, so I want to see if we can tie this in with the vacation time (i.e. go to Disney, come home for a day, then head to the wedding).

It all looks good on paper. But cost will be a factor to how long we are actually gone. In a perfect world, we will have 2 travel days and 10 days to relax and have fun. This trip will be all about Quinn. It won' be 10 solid days of craziness, hopefully every other day around the pool. If this is too expensive, we may have to do a short trip with go-go-go every day... guess beggars can't be choosers.

Lair is NOT a 'rides' guy (where as I LOVE em)... I will ask him to wear motion bands and eat graval and go on most 'little' rides. As long as they are not spinney or crazy roller coasters I think he can handle them. An experience he won't regret (this I promise him!). I do hope I can steal away for some fantastic big rides, but not a big deal if I can't.

We do not need to go to all the parks and attractions, just the ones most appealing for Quinn.

I am super excited for this trip. Even if it means giving up MoNo and camping. I can always escape to Edmonton for a weekend!!


I am not going to re-read or edit this so I hope it makes sense!

Math

Lair has made an important decision regarding his math upgrading.

Since September, on his own and with the help of Dwayne , Lawrence has been tying get himself up to speed learning Math 10 so he could take Math 20 in February.

... Well, it's down to the wire and he has decided, although he is understanding most chapters, he's still lost on some... He feels his Math 10 platform is not strong enough to stand on for Math 20. With Math being a constant in his future education he wants to ensure he has a solid base now instead of flailing or faking it like he did in high school.

It was a hard decision because it throws him back a semester to starting at Mount Royal... BUT, in the grand scheme of things, really, what is one semester?

I fully support him and am proud that he has the foresight to see his limitations.

Fun Filled Weekend.

I had a very nice weekend. It all started when Quinn woke crawled into bed with me and slept for an hour. Then he put my sleep mask on me so he could turn on my lamp and read in bed while I slept. So Sweet!

Saturday afternoon, we bundled up, picked up Brenna, Chris and his 12 year old sister and went to the zoo! We were there for a few hours and had a great time. The bay Giraffe is so cute! Her name is Sophie. We watched the video of her birth. Holy Crap what a sucky way to come into this world! Not only did she have a 6 foot drop on her head, but kept doing a header right into the ground while trying to stand up. However, persistence prevails and she was up and feeding within minutes! And now she's gallivanting all about!

Another interesting this was the gigantic python in the same building as the giraffes; normally this fellow is curled up and not moving, but this time he was all over! He slithered for a drink of water then just kinda moseyed around. Both Quinn and I were intrigued. I told Quinn this snake could eat him; He didn't believe me. Then I told him this snake could possibly eat me! Should have seen the look in his eyes! lol


Afterwards, we headed over to the Calgary Tower. I have free passes for the tower (good for up to 8 people). I sign them out to employees at work, so signed them out for me. I haven't been to the Tower since I was a teenager. I am glad I had free passes because that is not a $14/adult, $6/kids view. However, being free, was pretty cool. =)


On sunday, Quinn did the sleep mask thing again. Then he went and quietly played. Every now and then he would come in to see me or snuggle, or I would call to see what he was up to; it was 10:40am when he finally came in and asked for breakfast! That's the latest I've ever gotten to sleep without Lair being home! It felt so good to not spring out of bed at 8am!

We headed over for lunch and a visit with Katie and Kevin. They ordered pizza! MMMMmmm Delicious! We had a great visit. They have 4 fire bellied frogs. It was cool to see them and Kevin fed them live crickets. Pretty cool!

They got a new sectional and it fits perfect in that space! As if it were made for it! And so comfortable! Their couch is exactly what we desire in Both our living and rumpus rooms! ... One day, no time soon, that what we hope to see :)


Last night we started watching Transformers II. I downloaded it. About 15 minutes into it, it switched to Spanish! LOL Ya... so, we got it on Shaw-on-demand... Crap, what a waste of money! We felt it was horribly done. Very juvenile, many unnecessary scenes and some of the characters... The JarJar Binks of the Autobots, so sad.


I will leave you with this. BEST Giraffe pic ever:

This is Dee, In Thailand I believe, on a bus. And yes, this is a real giraffe!

Flames Game!

So a perk at work is, I get to wear my Flames jersey when we have a home game.

Now, I must admit, I am a bit of a poser, as I don't actually watch the games. Wearing the jersey is comfortable, almost like wearing pajamas to work! So heck ya, I will take full advantage of this perk.

The VP of Water Resources came down 2 Friday's ago and gave ,e tickets to that nights game; well on such short notice we were unable to go so I gave them back. So he asked when would be better for me and gave me tickets to last Thursdays game. Calgary Flames vs. Chicago Blackhawks.

It was a fun game for me! I've only been to one game and that was in grade 10, Flames vs the NY Rangers. A boy named Rob took me.

Vanessa and Mike baby sat for us; Quinn was uber excited to hang out with them. We had dinner first with them, then left.

I had 3 beers, shared nachos and a pretzel. Man oh man is everything there expensive! $7.50 for a beer! A Crappy Canadian non-the less LOL Oh well, it added to the fun (and my headache the next morning).

The first period was slow, the 2nd period they started warming up and the third period I was almost drunk;... I mean, they played a decent game - but lost.

I will happily accept free tickets again but don't foresee me ever paying for them. Oh ya, and the seats where pretty good; Just off the left shoulder of the Goalie, 8 rows off the ice!

Avatar

Last monday, I went to the gym after work, had a great work out, came home to dinner on the table, then Lair told me to hop in the shower because He got a sitter (Thanks Kelly Red!) and he was taking me to Avatar!

It was such a nice surprise and so nice to go out :)

The movie was spectacular (mom I promise I will see it with you in the IMAX!!!), I do want to see it again!

It had great messages with deep meanings and I hope others appreciate it as much I did; perhaps even get other to start thinking a bit different.

=) Anyone who knows me well and has seen this, seriously, the beauty and wonder of the land in Pandora is like the little world in my mind! As well the principles and ideologies rang so true with me!

Registration for Kindergarten

Monday was Registration day for kindergarten ... We do not have a school in Copperfield, we knew this when we bought, so I can't really complain. There is a new school that just opened in Sept 2009 in McKenzie Towne, but we are a fraction of a hair out of bounds.... :( DOH! This does upset me quite a bit. We could try to get him into that school, but it would be a year to year registration and there would be no transportation provided... So just not worth it. His zoned school (Maple Ridge) is a 15 minutes (pending traffic) bus ride away.... down the Deerfoot just off Southland. I'm not to happy with the idea of him going down the deerfoot....

Lair was the one who took him to the school to do this, which is a good thing because I was quite emotional over it... Geez, if this is how I feel over registration, how will the first day be!? LOL