Off on an adventure!

Hubby and I had a wonderful anniversary. We went to a new resturant and he got me a fabulous set of bamboo knitting needles! The set has 12 pairs so I will have all the sizes I need for my crafty goodness. Thanks to everyone for all the congratulatory messages.

Last night I took my Papa his Papa's Day present - a bonzai tree. He loved it. Everything else he has tried to grow outside has been eaten by the deer including the giant buds on his peony just before they were about to open. Poor Papa!

Today we are taking the Monkey on an adventure! We are taking him with us for the weekend while we visit my in-laws. He is looking forward to digging for treasure on the beach. Unfortunately the water won't be warm enough for swimming but it looks like it will be a cloudy weekend anyway. A big thunder storm has just rolled in that will hopefully help to clear things up.

On the family front Big Bro has got himself a lawyer and will hopefully follow their advice. Lil Sis is planning her "Christmas in June" party in honour of her friend's visit home, Lil' Bro is going to fail Grade 7 - Yikes! He should have seen it coming since he hardly went to school at all this year. He kept saying that his Mom would make sure they didn't fail him. I have no doubt she tried everything in her power to make them change their minds but it looks like he'll be stuck in Middle School an extra year. Maybe it will motivate him to go to class next year.

My Father's Day call to my Dad was the usual annual disaster.
Here is the synopsis:

CC: Happy Father's Day! I haven't heard from you in a while, what's going on?

Dad: Hey guess what, They are after me for child support for your Lil' Bro but I've got it figured out and I can avoid paying for at least another year by ignoring it, playing games and dragging things out.

CC: Here are all the reasons that is a bad idea....

Dad: That's not the way it works. Besides why should I? She has lots of money.

CC: Listen to me, I am your daughter the lawyer, I write books on this for a living.

Dad: I know what I'm talking about I've been to court for child support before, you know. Besides its the principle.

CC: Yeah, well things have changed in the last 20 years and people can waste a whole lot of time and a whole lot of money on a principle.

Dad: Whatever.

CC: Well, I've got to run! Nice talking to you.

Not sure why I even bother. Lil' Sis can just listen to him rant without the need to correct him but I just can't he baits me and I can't resist. I need to work on that in the next year - is there such a thing as a Father's Day Resolution?

I just had to share the letter I received from my cousin's ten year old daughter. Last year I had given her a set of stationary, pencils, stickers and pre-addressed envelopes so we could write back and forth. She wrote a couple of times but then lost interest. I just receieved another letter from her that reads:

who is the wether up ther. it raind sunday and monday up here
say Hi to my grammey and grammps for me plesa.
I have a picter for you. oh I have a Joke
Where can you alwhas find happe nis
the anser is under the flap

(a little purple scrap of paper is taped below)
the dichsonary

Love Kendar (Kendra)
xoxoxxo
xoxoxoxoxoxxo"

I think it too cute. It is definately a keeper. I'll have to write back today so she can get her response right away.

Come Rain or Come Shine

Today Hubby and I are celebrating our 9th wedding anniversary so I’d like to begin today’s post with a little musical dedication.

Come Rain or Come Shine

I'm gonna love you like nobody's loved you come rain or come shine

High as a mountain deep as a river come rain or come shine

I guess when you met me it was just one of those things

But don't ever bet me cause I'm gonna be true if you let me

You're gonna love me like nobody's loved me come rain or come shine

Happy together, unhappy together and won't it be fine?

Days may be cloudy or sunny

We're in or we're out of the money.

But I'll love you always; I'm with you rain or shine

Rain or shine.

Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer
As performed by Billie Holiday

Here is my version of how we met and fell in love.

I was just 18 when I met my sweetheart. I was in my first year of university and on campus over March Break to work on an assignment. I was the first (and most unlikely) of my friends to meet someone ‘online’.

Now it is important to note that this was before the internet was the internet. Most of you have probably never even heard of IRC. It was like messenger but without any graphics or interface just text. A guy I had dated earlier in the year had showed me how to use it. I had forgotten all about it by March Break.

On the night I met my future Hubby, I was in the computer lab on campus to work on an assignment of some sort. I ran into a guy who I knew through an ex-boyfriend who was in the lab typing away on IRC. I decided I had all March Break to work on my project so I got the guy to show me how to use IRC again before he left.

He showed me how to log on and put me on a channel (chat room) called ‘Canada’. The first thing that scrolled up on the screen was someone named ‘Acadian’ telling someone else that he was living in my city. What a coincidence! I wrote that I lived there too. We quickly discovered that we both went to the same university and that we were both currently on campus.

At this point I started to look around, there was only one other person in the computer lab -a tall handsome blonde boy. What are the chances! I smiled at the blonde guy and he smiled back. I asked which lab he was using and he said he was in the library. Oh well! We talked online for a while before he had to leave to catch a movie with friends and I had to get something done on my project. About an hour later the guy who signed me on earlier was back and convinced me to go back online. What do you know, there was Acadian again. Only this time he was in the same building as I was just on a different floor. Had I been alone I would have left it at that but since I had company I told him which lab I was in and suggested he come up and to join us. Turns out he had ditched his friends to try to find me.

I instantly thought he was not my type. He was really skinny and a little geeky but he was funny and obviously very smart and I thought he was a nice guy. At the end of the night when he offered me a drive home I thought he looks harmless enough and worse case scenario I’m pretty sure I can take him.

The next night I had a date with a beefy gym teacher and it turned out to be a total disaster. The highlights included a Steven Segal movie which he spent shouting at the screen and trying out his “moves” and when I bolted from the theatre at the end and hopped in a cab he tried desperately to convince me to go to his place to “see his dog.” I politely insisted on going home and watched the driver smirk as we drove off. I spent the drive home trying to keep his hands off me and when we arrived at my house I jumped out. He still had not picked up on my not so subtle clues so when he called out “Call me!” I told him not to hold his breath and slammed the door. The driver let out this loud laugh despite himself which probably cost him his tip!

I went in and relayed all the disaster details to my parents and their friends before going to play on the computer. Luckily ‘Acadian’ was back online and invited me to join him and some friends for pizza. Our first date he took me bowling and we had a lot of laughs but I insisted that he was a great guy just not my type. For example the geeky acrylic-geometric patterned sweaters were just not cool. But I had a good time and he was harmless enough.

Before long I was able to see past the acrylic sweaters and collared shirts and realized that he was kind, funny and very, very good to me. So I ditched the sweaers and kept the man. Before I knew what happened I was in love with him! (Sneaky fellow came out of nowhere!)

Four years later we were married. We’ve been through a lot in 9 years - we survived my law degree, his open heart surgery, his lengthy obsession with karaoke and three years of fertility treatments complete with Bambi-Hitler Syndrome. We have been through laugher and tears, sickness and health, richer and poorer (mostly poorer).

I can’t wait to see what the next nine years will bring!

What a week!

As expected, this was a crazy busy week. I am trying to wrap up two publications, we started our audit, and my year end report is due at the end of the month. Just writing about all of the work I did this year makes me tired. On top of all the writing, editing and project management, it turns out I gave my youth justice presentations 30 times to over 1300 people. Whew! I need a vacation.


Unfortunately three things that make this upcoming week look just as busy are the continuation of the financial audit, a dentist appointment, proofs from printers to review, and to make matter worse the boss is gone for the three days before the AGM which means lots of work for EB and me!

Hubby and I had a pretty uneventful weekend considering the chaos around us. Hubby was really hoping I'd surprise him with some good news on Father's Day but sadly that wasn't possible. I did however surprise him with a book he's wanted and a letter saying what a great dad I think he will be some day. As much as these types of holidays get to us our weekend was a breeze compared to the rest of our family.

On Saturday night I got home late and came throught the door at 12:30 to the phone ringing. My brother called to say he had just come home from a business trip to find his girlfriend had taken off with the Mouse! He was frantic and waiting for the police to show up. He was filing a missing person's report and trying to reach her at her mother's place. My sister has since had an email from her saying that she and the baby are fine but not saying where she is. My poor big brother is a wreck and won't leave the house for fear he'll miss her call.

Sunday Hubby called his Dad for Father's Day to find out they had just gotten back from the hospital where his father had surgery on his foot. He had told Hubby on Saturday how he had set up a "hammock district" in anticipation of our long weekend trip with three hammocks for us to use. Apparently that night he was enjoying the fruits of his labour when the hammock he was in came undone and he badly broke his foot in the fall. The rushed him to the hospital 45 minutes away where they did x-rays and then sent him off to a larger hospital 2 hours away for surgery. He know has pins and plates in his foot and will likely have pain the rest of his life. At the least, he is laid up for a few weeks in a cast and will be going snakey.

At this point I'm calling my Papa (step-dad) to find out if he made it back from his sailing trip with his dad and brother before the thunder storm rolled in. Thankfully he had made it back just in time. I was unable to reach my Dad in BC yesterday but I know he's alive because I got an email notice saying he got my e-card.

You know how they say bad things happen in threes? This morning Lil' Sis tells me that the Monkey's grandfather on his Dad's side had lost two fingers in a band saw accident! Good greif!

Myself, I just tried to take it easy this weekend. I read Snow Falling on Cedars which was a terrific book. All of my plans to go biking fell through, Hubby's bike needs a tune-up before he can go and Canknitian and I were rained out on Sunday. I did spend Sunday afternoon with Sis, Hubby and the Monkey enjoying the sun. Actually I was enjoying the shade, Sis was enjoying the sun but she is paying the price for it today.

On the crafty front there hasn't been much going on. I kind of overdid it a bit last weekend and have put the needles down for just a bit. I am anxiously awaiting my swapee for the Virtual Vacation and I have also signed up as a memeber of Team Canada in Dish Rag Tag.

Now it is back to work!

Oh, I should thank Sharon for her comments on my last post. It made me laugh to think I gave someone the impression I was a hard core biker. I am definately not, although I do have a great Schwinn 5-star Cruiser which my hubby refers to as my "Pee-wee Herman bike". (He's just jealous!) I'll have to post a picture of my sweet ride!