Blog Archives
Back to Business as Usual.
I’ll admit, I’m still torn as to whether I should keep on blogging about Walt Disney World or go back to life as we used to know it here at TD365. So what I’m thinking is this; I’ll write about what I feel like writing about. Cause, well… that’s what I’ve done for the last few years here. LOL Why change it now. 😉 That doesn’t mean I’m done writing about Disney, it just means I’m going back to writing however my muse pulls me. Sound good?
Now, I think I’m going to cuddle my sleeping girl for a bit. Watch a little streaming TV with her Daddy. Then tuck myself into bed for the night. I’m missing Bran tonight. He would have commented on my last post… and written to me on FB today. I have a feeling my one FB post would have prompted a good laugh between the two of us. Losing a much loved friend really freakin’ sucks. 😦
Friendship is Magic and/or Mental Health
I was thinking about the title Friendship is Magic, and while it may not really be magic, it can grant you mental health – which is pretty darn close. Friends keep you grounded, they kick you in the pants when needed, and provide support when no one else can. A good friend is like having a mental health provider on your speed dial. And that, my friends? That really is magic!
I’ve been stressing out about this whole ear issue of mine (and if you could hear the voice in my head, you’d note I said issue in the very proper British form where you hear the S sound vs the American ishu which is why it appears in italics. Because while I’m Canadian, and we SHOULD pronounce everything in the proper British way, American English has ended up rather prevalent. So you KNOW I’m taking pains to bring attention to a word when I pronounce it – even in my head – properly). I’ve been worrying about the possibility of long term effects, and whether or not I’ll be able to continue with some of my very favourite things. My health has taken a lot from me over the years, and the idea that something else may be taken away is a whole lot to digest. When I brought this up with her, she reminded me that while some of my symptoms may be explained by the Eustachian Tube Disorder (and therefore possibly scary and somewhat permanent) that the severity of these same symptoms could be related to other related problems that are just as likely temporary. Which means while I’m taking a break from one particular favourite activity right now, that things may still get better and I may be able to get back in the saddle (as it were) before too terribly long. Without a good friend in whom I could confide, I’d still be stressing myself into a tizzy. I still have a twinge of worry, but I’m definitely feeling better. Friendship is Magic when it comes to Mental Health!
Oh! See http://howjsay.com/index.php?word=issue to hear the difference in pronunciation. 😉
The MomWriters Anniversary Ball!
Well… another year has come and gone, and with the Anniversary Ball and the Golden Pens, we say goodbye to May and to the last year. I never get choked up about the new year, it’s just never been a big deal to me. But May 31st? It’s how I measure my year, and my successes and failures.
I’ve grown up with the MomWriters. I really was just a kid when I first joined this amazing group. I couldn’t have been more than 22 (but it might have been even longer ago than that). I was a dog mom, and wrote canine non-fiction. And like a kid, I was pretty selfish. I was in it for me. It was about networking and getting my work out there and noticed.
“Time may change me….”
To be honest, I’m not really sure how everyone put up with me back then. LOL But they welcomed me with open arms, and stuck it out with me too. I can’t imagine a better group of Women, and am so proud to call them my friends.
It’s odd… to have been friends with people for so long, yet to have never met them in person. They are as real a presence in my life as any person I see on a regular basis. Their support, advice, strength, loyalty, friendship, and love has seem me through a lot. The group may not be as active as it once was (with the changing face of the internet) but we all know that should any of us need each other: “yes, should you need us, for any reason at all…” Well, we know we don’t have to look very far to find the support we need.
So, congratulations to all this years Golden Pen winners! Lovely chatting with you all at the Ball (which is where I’ll be headed again after hitting “publish”)! And here’s to another 14 years of friendship. Nothing like the life of a freelancer and mom. 😉
A Playdate for Puppies and People!
As I’d mentioned a while ago now, we had hopes of heading out for a puppy (and people) playdate with my friend Yolanda. Unfortunately we got rained out and had to postpone. Fortunately, the weather was perfect today. 🙂 And, as promised, I tried to be less of a hovering mother hen, and more of a stand-back-and-take-photos kinda gal. So without further ado, our family playdate:
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- Alice on Yolanda’s lap
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- Yolanda and Lily-Ann, blowing coloured bubbles.
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- Indigo and Lily-Ann, hanging at the pond.
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- Lily and Alice
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- The girlie – way too cute for words.
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- Rooty-toot checking on Deedee
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- Damon and Roo
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- Lily-Ann and Roo
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- Deedee and Alice, having a break.
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- Roo, Alice, and Deedee – under the chair.
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- Alice and Deedee – being goofy.
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- Indigo trying to initiate play with Alice and Deedee
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- Deedee and Alice, watching Indigo (who is off camera).
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- Yolanda cuddling Deedee while Roo mugs for the camera.
Thank you so much for having us all over Yolanda. It really was a fabulous afternoon, and a much needed break from all the overtime hours I’ve been putting in lately. 🙂 Very much looking forward to doing it again soon.
One Heck of a Day – Chihuahua Puppies!
Wow.
Seriously. Long. Day.
LOL If it weren’t for the pure exhaustion, I’d share it all with you. But honestly? I am wiped right out. The adrenaline is no longer pumping, and I’m likely to crash soon. Okay, I’m starting to crash NOW. 😉
Details can wait, but one thing can’t: a HUGE shout-out to my husband Damon! Seriously, this guy was a freakin’ rockstar today. Never whelped a litter of puppies before, and he was amazing. Seriously, amazing.
Roo went into labour early, she was due on the 27th. And of course, I’m in Regina, hours from home. But I didn’t need to worry, (even though I did, I worried and stressed – LOTS) Damon nailed it! Not only did he keep Roo calm, and help her out with her first litter, he actually saved a puppy who was in distress. Like I said. My husband is a rockstar. 🙂
And another huge thank you to Em, Rosalie, and Laurie who all helped out with advice when the little boy was struggling. And further thank yous to all my dog show peeps (Lisa, Haille, Kandy, Barry, and everyone else) who tried to console me when things were looking bleak, and celebrated with me when things ended up being great.
So yeah. Long day. But, one with a bright happy ending.
Rooty-Toot and Puppies
Oh! And Marnie won another point today, and got Best Puppy in Breed. LOL So, yeah. Totally draining and exhausting and amazing day. 🙂
Like breathing for the first time…
Tonight I spent the evening with Anthony. He was the coordinator for Camp fYrefly two years ago, so he’s definitely going to be my right hand man for the next six months. This job means so much to me, in so very many ways… and having a guy like Anthony by my side is only going to make it that much better.
I haven’t felt that lighthearted and that quickly connected with someone in a very long time. It was honestly like breathing for the first time. We just instantly seemed to accept one another as we were, for who each of us is. No expectations. Just open and honest. And by some twist of fate, we have SOOO much in common. So many of the same drives, the same passions. It really was awesome getting to know him. I am so looking forward to our next tete a tete.
At one point, a couple hours into our evening, Anthony got really quiet. And the tone became very serious. He said to me, “I don’t want to offend you… but…” I was nervous about what might come next. Questions and statements that follow something like that can be brutal, and slash a person to the core. He finished, looking quizzical but open and honest, staring into my eyes as if searching, “…are you in a heterosexual relationship?”
I’m sure I broke out into the biggest, goofiest grin. I laughed brightly as I answered in the affirmative. And he grinned and laughed with me.
It felt so good to be accepted for who I am without anything about me or my sexual identity just being assumed. Everywhere we go, people instantly judge us. They make assumptions about who we are, how we identify, making labels for us for their own convenience and security. It was amazing to NOT have all that taken for granted, to just be allowed to be me without it mattering, with the question coming almost as an afterthought, yet with concern about how it would make me feel.
Anthony? Tonight you affirmed for me all of the reasons I first wanted to apply for this position. Thank you!
It’s amazing to find such a fast friend. One you can open up to and share secrets with so very quickly. And I believe I’ve found that in Anthony. I look forward to many more evenings together with my right hand man.
Yay Camp fYrefly!
Busy day…
Today started off nice and lazy, just the way I like my Sundays… but then it got busy. Mostly fun busy, with a visit from my good friend Trae and her son Jaden. They joined us for supper, which was a really nice treat. Unfortunately we had some bad busy too though, in the form of a wee girlie and her daddy both with fevers and sick tummies. A set of sheets, pillow cases, and comforters later… at least the sickies have a clean bed to lie in. Always a joy to have those types of messes… but we got through it. And I have to say, have Trae here to help watch everyone else while I took care of the mess was a big help, and made me feel a lot better about everything.
Before things got busy I had been thinking about scrapbooking kits. I have a few in mind. Gotta build up a bit of a supply, and then I’ll hopefully be able to find a shop that is interested in selling them. Here’s one of the pictures I took today… while thinking scrapbooks. 🙂 Any guesses as to the theme of the kit it will belong in?
The first snowman, snowowl, thing…
Today, during our walk to school, the wee girlie and I were playing catch using snowballs. It’s only a six block walk, but we usually allow ourselves a half hour to get there because… well… because you can just have a lot more fun that way. 😉
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“Hey! Lily-Ann… check out this move.”
The wee girlie comes running over, and watches, utterly amazed as I take a snow ball and roll it through the damp sticky snow covering the field. The little, tightly packed ball, quickly grows to double, triple, and quadruple it’s original size.
“This is how you start a snowman. Wanna build one with me?”
You can almost see the wheels begin spinning in her little mind as her eyes widen. With the enthusiasm only a pre-schooler can muster, the girl bursts forth with “Yah!”
And thus our little snow adventure began to take shape.
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So, on the way to school we built a snowman in the park. Which is cool enough on it’s own. It was the wee girlie’s FIRST snowbeing. We didn’t have carrots or raisins or twigs… but we did have lots of leaves – so they worked for making a face.
On the walk home though, it got even better. We talked Carissa and her Dad into building some more with us. In the photo below you’ll see the two super long paths the two larger snowballs made as us two grown-ups pushed them along. I made the bigger one. LOL …but I didn’t have to pick up mine. Carissa’s dad on the other hand, did have to pick up his, and nearly crashed into the original snowman after dropping his on the ground where it broke in two. Snow is heavy. Damp snow especially so. 😉
The new snowbeing is an owl, I was told. Or at least what the two girls perceive a mythical snow beastie of an owl to be. I loved it!
And even the broken half of the second large ball of snow ended up becoming something… a baby snow creature. Thus our original snowman became snowmother. So snowowl, snowmother, and snowbaby now sit in the park by our house waiting to greet us during our walk to school tomorrow.
Working on the snowowl
Discussing what would come next.
The whole snowfamily.
Run, run, run through the pumpkin maze
The wee girlie had her first ever class field trip. As it turned out, she needed both her Daddy and I to be there with her. LOL But it was a nice trip, and I’m grateful that neither of us had to miss out on it. It was kinda special that we were both able to be there.
This photo is a little quirky, but I love it. Hope you do too.
Run, Run, Run!
If you remember Carissa from an earlier blog post (where the two girls were holding hands on the way to school) that’s her with the adorable toothless grin. She and Lily-Ann are too cute for words! LOL I’m so thrilled that the wee girlie has picked such a wonderful girl as her bestie.
For those of you who are “friends” with me or “friends of friends” on Facebook, I’ve got a whole album there from todays trip to the pumpkin maze. It really was a nice time, and I captured some really cute moments.
Scraptastic Saturdays – Modesty
Today I just thought I’d share a new layout with you all. The kit I used is called Built-in Playmate and is a collaboration between Kat’s Creations and another designer. As a member of Kat’s Creative Team, I had early access to the kit so got to play with it before it was released.
Modesty
TD 365 