I'm How Old??

Happy birthday to me....and I'm officially on the downslide to 40. So I'm how old?? How the heck did I get to 36 this fast!?? And this is what my mom said to me last night. She said just wait 'til you hit 50 and then 60! I'm sorry but I do not want to think about it. This is already too harsh for me. I hear from people "ah, you're still young". I guess they're right in a way - I've always had a young mind set...and I don't feel almost 40 (whatever that's supposed to feel like), so if I think of it that way, age just turns out to be nothing but another number, not define how you feel or who you are.

Today mom took the day off and we're going to eat lunch at one of my fave restaurants - Earls. It was my first job here once upon a time and I absolutely love their food. They don't have any chains out East so I missed eating there for 9 years! Tonight we'll go out for a Greek dinner, I can't for all that garlic!

Sam woke up with a fever again this morning, so I'll wait it out today and take her to see a doctor tomorrow if her fever persists. Perhaps the antibiotics aren't working or her cold is causing the fever. We'll see how she does today. In the meantime, I'm getting my birthday started with a few cups of coffee and a nice long shower....and spend my birthday with my mom for the first time in 9 years!!

Prayers Needed Please

Man this is one time I wish I was still in Ottawa, when my dear best friend Tracy needs me the most. Your prayers are requested for her mother who went into a diabetic coma a couple of days ago. She is in intensive care with a severe lung infection and is also suffering from kidney failure. Please please pray for her and the family, they need all they can get. Many blessings to you all!

Ear Infection

Ahh.. the joys of a cold and in Sammy's case(s) she ends up with ear infections. This was one I suspected yesterday when she woke up with a fever and runny eyes. The only other time she had a fever with runny eyes was last year with her first ear infection that sent us to the hospital when she puked profusely and couldn't keep any fever reducers down...so she had to get a suppository. Now I have them on hand and look for signs I didn't know back then to look for so that we DON'T end up in emerg again. First times are fun aren't they? So yesterday I saw runny eyes and nose and nothing else so I suspected the possibility of ears and gave her Advil and she went down for a nap. When she woke up and the Advil wore off she spiked an even higher fever. So I decided to take her to the walk-in to rule out ears. Sure enough she was on the verge of an ear infection so we got antibiotics and gave her some before bed to get ahead of the game. She spiked another fever at 4am, I gave her Tylenol and a bottle of water to suck on and we went back to sleep until 8. I gave her another dose of antibiotics and she hasn't had a fever since. It will be nice when she can finally be able to tell me what's wrong, as she doesn't and never had pulled on her ears or showed any kind of pain to let me know. Thank God for mother's instinct...and learning experiences!

Last Week

This is the last week we're staying at mom's. Next weekend Wayne drives up to take us back to our new home! I've been nearly going out of my tree and also noticed my patience is running a bit thin here and there. This is mostly because Sam's schedule is more than a bit off; she hasn't been napping and then she is unable to survive until bedtime so she falls asleep at 5. THEN she doesn't sleep until 11. BUT...even if she DOES have a nap she STILL doesn't go to bed until 10 or 11. Seems no matter what happens in the day she has such late nights and it takes a toll on me eventually. I think I've done a pretty good job at handling this whole moving thing and living out of a suitcase... until yesterday when I lost it in a moment while talking to my mom and aunt - I just dropped everything and left the room in tears. Yeah sounds a bit dramatic maybe, but I seriously didn't see it coming. At that moment I realized I probably needed to just release it all and next thing I knew I felt back to normal and carried on.
So next Saturday I've planned to have Sam's 2nd birthday party and hopefully daddy will arrive on time. He'll be working all week so we'll see how early he'll get on the road Saturday morning. On a perfect trip he can make it in 4 hours, but in the winter through the mountains it could take him 5 and a half depending. I've ordered Sam's Dora cake and this week I'll shop for a few party items and a gift for Sam.
So far there hasn't been too much happening. We had Sam's cousin Cole over on the weekend again for a playdate and sleepover. I spoke to Wayne last night and he's been cleaning the house all week and sleeping on his inflatable mattress. The movers are arriving today so I can't wait to talk to him tonight to see how things went. He's looking forward to getting the furniture in!! As soon as possible we'll have to apply white primer to the puke green walls we plan to paint over. We'll be taking a sample of our carpet to Home Depot to get a good color scheme going. Man I'm getting so excited to see our place! While my step dad Rick was in Vancouver on business, he drove by our place to check it out. Now I feel everyone's seen our place except me!! I can't wait!

He Made It!

Wayne turned up last night at 6pm - he made it from Swift Current in almost 12 hours! Sam's 4 year old cousin Cole came over to stay the night and we all sat at the window waiting for Wayne to drive up. When I saw that big red truck pull into the driveway, I instantly choked up in joy and relief. With Sam in my arms and Cole at our side, my mom and I ran downstairs to meet my exhausted hubby at the door. Cole was the first one to greet him with a, "Hi Uncle Wayne!" We all attacked him with big hugs and kisses and Sam immediately reached out for him to take her. They must have hugged for a whole hour before she got down to play again. We fed him a big spaghetti dinner and then he reclined back in the leather chair to relax and gather his sanity. It wasn't long before he went to bed - I tucked him in for a change and said I'd guide him to the nearest Tim Horton's in the morning.
Wow. I cannot believe he's here - it seems like he left yesterday! It was so good to see his face. Now he'll leave sometime today for Vancouver. He needs to be there to sign the mortgage papers tomorrow morning. Our move in date is Wednesday, but the movers won't even be here until Friday. Until then he'll stay with his aunt and uncle in Ladner. Will be nice for him to relax until his first day at work on Monday the 5th!

Travel Update

Wayne called us tonight from Kenora, Ont. - he drove 1100 km today from Sault Ste Marie! He's almost in Manitoba and plans to drive to Swift Current by tomorrow night. From there he will drive to Kelowna, so he should be here Saturday! Needless to say he's exhausted but the millions of Tim Hortons drive throughs keep him going. Would love to see the stack of empty cups from that trip! Goodnight all!

Just Hangin'

This week so far has been nice and relaxed. Got a coffee in with an old friend yesterday- might even meet up with them this weekend. Sam is enjoying chasing Max around and playing with toys in the basement - a MASS amount of toys her cousins play with, especially the wood train set and wood puzzles. She also LOVES the freight train that runs by the house about 4 times a day...i'm going to try and get her outside to see it up close sometime.

She's starting to count and says 'un' for 'one', as she lines up each object side by side. I've been working on 'one, two, three' for a long time with her and counting her toes to five. Now she's caught on and says, 'Un, un, un, un,' like she's trying to count to five like mommie. Also everything is 'up'. Even if she's going downstairs, she says 'up'. She's missing Wayne's mom a lot too, so she says her nickname, 'YA YA' and pants like a dog, not forgetting to mention YaYa's dog Sarah.

We got up early this morning and I'm planning to walk down to the waterfront, it's so nice outside today. I've tried to post a picture of the amazing view from my mom's window but Blogger won't take it for some reason. Too bad. I'll just have to email it out to you. Same with any other pics.

Wayne's on the road now and I won't be hearing from him until he hits Winnipeg. Praying for his safety and excited to see him at the end of this weekend!

Sorry if I haven't called any of you in Ottawa yet. It's because I can't call until after 6 and by that time we're having dinner and for you it's 3 hours ahead so when all is done and I actually have the time, it's too late to call. I might have to wait until the weekend when I can call in the daytime.

Wish You Were Here

Ah, Kelowna is heaven! If you've never experienced what I call the California of Canada, you HAVE to take a trip to Kelowna to appreciate what I mean. Here I am in my mom and dad's house nestled into the mountainside that overlooks the clear glassy turquoise lake beneath it. The view from the living room is spectacular!

So the plane ride was a success for my cat Max. It didn't traumatize him as I thought it would. I think my mom and dad's house was more of an adjustment for him yesterday than anything. But you wouldn't know it today - he's really made himself at home and even playing with his mice and knows his way around as if he never left home. What a relief! Only thing I'm concerned about is the new furniture they just purchased. AND the plants around the living room Max isn't used to having around - a few may be toxic to him so I'm always on the lookout to see what he's up to.
Sam had a good flight too, she slept, colored, watched Treehouse on the TV and played peek-a-boo with people around us. Everyone commented on how much of a trooper she is. Mommie was very proud of her! We were fortunate enough to have our entire row free of passengers so we could stretch out and I even had my own TV to watch while Sam was busy. Great flight!
It's moving day for Wayne today, my poor hubby has quite a trip ahead of him tomorrow morning. I pray for a safe journey and expect to see him drop in to see us in 4 days or so. I still can't believe this is all happening! it might take a few weeks to let it all sink in - especially when I actually get to see our home in a couple of weeks.

That's all I have to update for now. I'll try and post some pics of our stay here in the Okanagan, now that my mom has a digital camera. Until then, to all my friends in Ottawa - I miss you so much already and I wish you were here!

Not Goodbye, but See You Again!

Well it's time - we're moving in two days and I'm on a plane tomorrow early morning. Every amazing thing that's happened for me, happened here in Ottawa. Nine years ago I was pinballing around and partying in a small town as a waitress with dreams, but I felt a little trapped and sheltered. There was such a big world out there I had no idea what I was about to experience. A bad breakeup left me with nothing but the clothes on my back so I made a spontaneous move across the country where I had very little family I never met before. I took room and board in a house where I met Wayne who lived in the basement. He told me he's also from Vancouver - go figure - and we became best friends along with his group of friends. Three years later Wayne and I got married in Las Vegas. After that I made 2 totally different careers for myself; met an incredible group of women - my Oprah Kick Butt Sistas, and one ended up as one of my very best friends: Tracy; then I had a beautiful baby girl, and the list of even more events seem endless. These people and experiences have made me a stronger, wiser and better person - it's overhwhelming of the timeline that flashes before me. While moving here was the best thing that ever happened to me, I couldn't help feeling extremely homesick. I can't count how many times I cried, wishing to be back home with my family. I kept asking God to help me understand why He guided me out here - even though my answers were so obvious. I finally came to accept that this was possibly going to be my home forever, when suddenly Wayne gave me the news he took a job in Vancouver - my prayers were answered, just after I let it all go and quit trying to figure it all out! God sure had His plans for me. This reminded me to trust in Him more and let him take control. Trust in Him with all your heart people, I have my testimony, what's yours?

One Week and Counting

I cannot believe we are no longer going to be here in less than a week! Wayne is now in Montreal and I still have more packing to do than I thought. More like odds and ends but when I take a look around this mess it still leaves me with 'where do I start'? Then it's on to cleaning floors and the oven, bathrooms, etc.
I've already had my 'last supper' with each of my friends last week. The gang from work met up with me, Wayne and Sam at Mexi Cali Rosa's on Saturday. I had such a hard time keeping the tears back as I read a goodbye card with little notes written from everyone inside. My boss even gave me a cute little card from herself with a $20 bill inside saying "have dinner on me". AND and additional little spray can of water to mist onto my face for the airplane...too sweet. I had such a great meal that last night for my dinner with my best friend Tracy, I wanted to go back to Rosa's for more Mexican yums!! We toasted with a margarita and ended our delicious meal with deep fried ice cream and brownie delight!! Best dinner yet! Sam was really good through the whole thing, as she enjoyed coloring everything with crayons and sipped my water through a straw. Tracy and I had great conversation as always, looking back on the endless four years we've known each other. It's still a week until I leave so I promised her it's not the last time I'd see her yet. She is ALSO in the midst of moving, but just a few blocks down the street so I'm going to head over on Wednesday to view their new digs.
My mom and dad came back from a cruise over New Years just a few days ago and now are waiting for my arrival Sunday. I'm so excited and cannot believe I'm actually going to see my mommie in a week! And that I'm not flying back to Ottawa as usual - that BC is now going to be my home once again!
Must wake Sam up, she's really sleeping in this morning. Her schedule is really off these days as her environment changes. Poor thing, her toys are packed and she's getting bored fast....until the other day she whipped her socks off and discovered the joy of sock puppets. LOL!!

Two Weeks Left

So far today I feel almost back to normal. I had a pretty good sleep last night - a first in quite a while. I took cold medication and put Sam to bed at 8:30 and I was in bed by 9pm. We packed for 12 hours yesterday. I was up early and started on the basement and living room. When Wayne got up he worked on the dining room and kitchen while I finished up the living room. Sammy's quite a little helper...she saw how busy we were and decided to help daddy stack dishes. The look on her face was quite serious as she reached into boxes and put things on the floor...then she'd put them back into the boxes. She got a lot accomplished and was very proud of herself. It was so cute. I should have had the camera out!

Wayne's off to Calgary today until the weekend. We'll do the basement when he's back and then he's off to Montreal for 3 days. By that time things should be pretty well finished....then I'm off to BC! Sam's cold is slowly getting better and she's finally sleeping through the night again.

I finished work Dec. 28th and I miss my co workers already. I worked there for 4 years and I feel like I've known them all my life. They want to have a goodbye dinner for me next weekend so I'll have to decide where I'd like us to go. It's always so much fun when we have these little outtings. I remember when I first started my career in makeup, I invited them to the house for "Lipstock 2003". Everyone came over for cocktails and munchies and to have their makeup done. After that we headed to a local pub to listen to a live band...we had so much fun! It's going to be so hard to leave the people here close to me. It's starting to sink in for my other dear friends as moving day approaches. It's still a bit surreal for me, it's hard to determine what I feel sometimes. We're uprooting our lives to start all over. I won't have my car anymore and will have to drive Wayne to the train station every morning in our monsterous truck. Apparently we'll be living in a cluster of houses out in the country so it won't be like here where I can just walk down the street to a corner store or my doctor's office. Our area here is so much different than where we'll be living in the Greater Vancouver Area. When you drive from our place there's a long country road along a greenbelt and then you hit another community of houses and maybe some stores until you get into the downtown core of our city. The area we bought is a brand new develpment so there's a possibility we'll eventually have more houses and stores built near us. Wayne said I'll understand it all when we get there. I guess the feeling I have is fear of the unknown, even though it's an exciting adventure!

Clearing the Clutter

As we pack, you should see the enormous amounts of clutter we're throwing into bags! Even after I THOUGHT I cleared it all in the last year. Moving sure is a cleansing experience, or as Wayne puts it - theraputic. We're still on the upstairs but will definitely be working on the kitchen tomorrow. Wayne's mom suggested we meet at Red Lobster for dinner - my fave place to eat! So it's something to look forward to !!
My cold is trying to come back so I'm taking more Cold FX. Wayne has it now so he's even taking it after telling me how skeptical he is about it. Sam's cold still isn't better and it's been over a week so we're taking her to the doctor tomorrow as we suspect a possible ear infection. Man I hope we can just get all this illness taken care of before we move. Especially Wayne since he's driving across the country! Hope the Cold FX helps him as it did for me.
Must go, as I hear my dear little Sammy playing in bags of who knows what! Stay tuned...

Happy New Year

We wish everyone a happy new year and all the best in 2007!

Sam came down with a cold last week and inevitably I was the next one over the weekend. I've seemed to nip in in the bud with Cold FX - I'm swearing by this cold relief from now on! I've been giving Sam some of my Greens + Multi since she's such a picky eater at the best of times...it's even harder to get her to eat anything when she's sick. Her cold's been hanging on and is now in her chest. Hopefully it will clear soon. Mine hardly had the chance to turn out as anything really, except fatigue and very minor runny nose, sneezing and sore throat. I'm actually better today, but I'll take it easy just one more day so I can continue packing. We started on the upstairs over the weekend. I'm glad Wayne's home for this week and we can get lots done before he's off to Calgary on the 8th. I won't be able to do it all myself. Then he's gone to Montreal after that and when he gets back I'll be flying to BC! EEEK Time's running out, but it will all get done. I'll be literally living out of a suitcase from now on, as we're packing up all our clothing next.
If anyone would like updates on my cousin Craig's health while he's in the hospital, one of my cousins has created a website for him...visit www.craigfoss.com . You can even check out photos and play games...I'm in the lead for Frogger...lol
My computer has been unplugged, as we're in the process of packing them up, so I can still give packing updates from my laptop. Forgive me for any delays from here on out - it's going to get pretty busy around here.
Happy New Year All!

Merry Christmas!

We hope everyone had a really great Christmas this year. It's Boxing Day and I don't know about you, but I'm TIRED! We had Wayne's cousin and his family visiting from Calgary so it was a nice Christmas gathering. Brunch was at our house and dinner at Wayne's sister's. Sam got her kitchen set from Gran, amongst many more from the family and Santa Claus. Must clean out her toy box to make room! She's still at the age where she's not sure what's really going on...just all this commotion with lots of people, toys and food!UGH..the FOOD was so good and Sammy sure enjoyed the bazillion appetizers anywhere she could find them!
It was also kind of sad though, knowing it will be our last Christmas here. Wayne's mom can fly out so it's definitely not our last one together! Now to start our packing very soon, if not this week! Only 3 weeks 'til moving day!

Celeb Siting!

So Wayne calls me from Montreal today and guess who he says he sees?? ME! On a poster for a flu ad! Guess that modelling I did a couple of years ago is paying off!! LOL!!!

Enjoy the Holidays!

I know it's been a while since I've posted something...as I said before things got pretty chaotic around here, but now I'm way more relaxed in the past few days. Since buying our house, I finally got my car fixed, I've picked up some extra shifts at work, I've done my Christmas shopping for the most part and the family received great news about my cousin Craig! Now I can start some baking and enjoy the rest of the holidays!
The great news about Craig is that we've found a donor for his transplant! One of his four brothers, my cousin Randy, is a match! PRAISE BE!!! There's even a better chance of this working because it will be coming from his sibling. After his first round of chemo, they found 12% cancer left when they were hoping for under 5%...but the news of Randy being a match is even better! Now he's on his second round of chemo, or already has been by now. He's feeling great and eating well and sends us emails often.
We're Norwegian in this family and a Christmas never went by without a stack of Lefsa on the table, made straight from my grandmother Foss' loving hands. For anyone who doesn't know Lefsa (I'm sorry for you, for one..lol) but it's a crepe-like potato bread used for dinners or dessert if you like. It's rolled out and we spread butter on it and roll it up and MMMMMMMM it's SO GOOD! It's the one of many things we looked forward to at dinner. Us kids would also sprinkle sugar all over it. Anyhoo, since I moved to Ottawa, I have kept this tradition going and this lovely treat has ended up on many tables each year. I've even made individual batches for co-workers and (I hope they liked it) they said it was good. For anyone who wants a copy of the recipe just send me an email or post it with your comment.
Wayne's working out of town until Christmas so he's doing his shopping on the road and I've sent out parcels to the west part of the country. I'm only left with Sam's gifts, but we're doing very little this year. I'm doing stocking stuffers for Wayne and he said my gift is the house. Good enough for me I'd say! Poor Sammy's scared of Santa Claus. On TV or in books she's fine with him, but in person or in doll form (ie, my Christmas ornaments) she is not happy. In one of the malls I walked her up to Santa to say hi and she hid her face in my knees. Funny when I mention him, she gets a little smile on her face. Next year will be different I'm sure.
As for my car, we're giving it up in a month anyway so I'm just coasting on the roads. the mechanic said it's in working order for now but there's no telling what it could do next week...EEK ! So I'm avoiding long distances.
Other than that, we're ready to pack any day now. Once we get over that hump, I'll be flying to BC, people! There's no place like home!

We Bought A Home!

It's official, we are now proud homeowners!! Wayne is back and he's exhausted. We continue to face new obstacles - it's unbelievable everything is just one after another. It'll all work out.

Tries and Tribs

This crazy life these days have finally caught up to me. I'm emotionally exhausted and it's taking a toll on my energy levels, not to mention my patience, my stomach and sleep patterns. From the time Craig got sick and up until now, I'm ready for Calgon or something stupid like that - or more! I'm really looking forward to getting away tomorrow night to our veterinary clinic's Christmas party. I really need to just take this break for a few hours; have some adult interaction and some laughs. All week Wayne has been in Vancouver looking for our 'perfect' home...or not so perfect, but he hasn't had much luck except for a couple that are ok AND one amazing one. He's due back to Ottawa on Sunday and time is running out. It's been killing me being here and waiting all day for his call to find out what's going on. Then a couple of days ago my car broke down and now I'm house bound with a toddler until he gets back. Christmas is coming and we don't know how much we can afford and now we might have to put more money into my car or just get rid of it since we're moving in 2 months anyway. Now without a car I cannot get any Christmas stuff done even if I HAD money, so I'm even more stressed. My dearest bestest friend Tracy rescued me today though (thanks sista cat!;)) and I was able to pack Sam in her car and hitch a ride with her to Superstore. I've been running out of groceries slowly and needed a few things, plus last minute stuff for my Christmas party. With that done, I finished everything just in time... and in the middle of our first winter storm too! Tracy's also agreed to babysit for me tomorrow night since Wayne's mother is sick with a chest infection. She's been a life saver for me lately that's for sure...taking time out of HER busy schedule and adding her own newborn baby to it...I am so grateful!
I haven't slept a full night in a few weeks. My doctor suggested it could indicate that I need to be back on antidepressants just for these next couple of months, as it's going to be very hectic and stressful. I feel bad complaining after everything Craig's been through, but it is what it is and I have this option to take care of it. I've got a prescription but have been hesitating to have it dispensed. I've been doing so well managing my anxiety but there comes a point doesn't it?

Great News!

This weekend there's great news all around. First of all Craig has emailed friends and family from his hospital room saying he's finished his chemo and is feeling great! I'm so happy! He will have his bone marrow tested again to see if he's in remission and if he isn't then he'll do another round of chemo. One of our cousins is in the process of creating a website on Craig so once it's up and running I'll post a link. Craig is also getting a lot of support from his huge team at work, as they have developed a trust fund for him posting silent auctions every week or so. Craig has such tremendous support all around and for that he's quite thankful and able to fight even harder for that reason. I thank the Good Lord for working through doctors and everyone to get Craig and the family through all of this. Prayers are continuing as they are being answered. Thank you everyone!

Secondly, Wayne left early this morning for Vancouver...we are on our way to purchasing our first home this week! How exciting!!! We have put in so much time and energy into printing out the homes we have chosen on MLS and rating them based on an intricate system Wayne has created. I can say we are definitely more than prepared, but that's how my honorable and hard-working man operates. It will be interesting to see what we end up with; any of them would be absolutely wonderful. Stay tuned and I could be posting a picture of our new digs by end of next week...or sooner!
Oh, and of course here's a new photo I had to post of our sweet girl playing in mommy's cupboards...

Sad News but keep on keeping on..

My apologies for no posts for a while. I've been quite unfocused since sad news came to the family. My cousin was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (cancer of the bone marrow) and needs a transplant very soon. He's on chemotherapy for the next 2 weeks and the family's been tested to see if anyone is a match for a transplant. It's been very tough on him and his family, as well as the rest of us, as he's got a 2 1/2 year old, a 5 month old and a new wife who is absolutely devistated. Please send some prayers, as we need for him to pull through this. He seems to be in good spirits which is a good sign. He's got so much to fight for. We just saw him a couple of months ago when I flew out for his youngest brother's wedding. You may have already seen him in one of the pictures from that trip...of he and Sam riding on his quad. See it in Archives section in 'August' and scroll down to 'More Pics of Our Trip'.

So these days I haven't felt much like doing anything, although if I do, it gets my mind off of it for a while. Better to keep busy I guess, I can't do anything from across the country anyway except pray. I've been just so sick in the stomach from this but it's getting better as the news absorbs and knowing Craig is in good hands.

In the meantime Wayne and I have been going through all of 30 or so homes we've picked out for Wayne to view on his trip to Vancouver. It's going to be interesting to see what we'll end up buying - we have about 4 favorites out of them!

Wayne takes off for Winnipeg today. There are no hotels left for him to stay in because of the Grey Cup so he has to stay 2 hours away until tomorrow when someone picks him up and drives all the way back to Winnipeg where he can get a room once the crowd clears away. I'm going to try and get the house back in order this week - I couldn't really motivate myself to do much last week. Will keep an update on Craig soon.