mid-life piercing(s).

 

I didn’t pierce my earlobes until I was a teenager. My mom pierced my belly button for me when I was 19 and home for Christmas from university – in the bathroom. My blood pressure dropped so fast, my knees gave out and I almost went down. I’ll never forget it. My mom was so cool.

First tattoo was when I was 16 (mom signed for that one too), and then another at 19 and two more at 21.

Then nothing…..

Well, hair dye, but big deal.

Now I’m closer to 31 than I am to 30 and I thought it was time to do something fun. The first thought was a major haircut. (I’ve chopped it all off a couple times before and love it). The problem is, short hair takes work and the commitment to maintain it — with, you know, brushing and trimming, and all that. And, when it comes to hair brushing and hair cutting and effort…I am l-a-z-y. I reasoned with myself thinking that short hair again would be fun and I could experiment with colours (so much easier to do with the short stuff than the mane that’s halfway down my back right now), but still, I can’t get over having to make the effort to get it cut every three weeks. So, long it’s staying (for now)

One or two more tattoos are certainly on my bucket list, but they will be literary, and I’m not set on anything just yet, and my husband is not really sold on more tattoos, especially if they are not something I really want, so they will be waiting as well.

New jewellery in my face….we have a winner!

The tongue was first. Due to un-related circumstances, I’ll never forget it.

I had it pierced on a Wednesday. My mom passed away the next day. She didn’t even know I had it done. I think she would have loved it. My guess is that she would have seriously considered getting one herself. She would have thought it was cool.

However, with a funeral and all the stuff that comes with that, I talked like an idiot with a swollen, bruised tongue. For about 4 days, it was the worst decision I had ever made. The needle through the tongue itself didn’t hurt, but the aftermath….wow. And then I burnt my tongue trying to keep it sanitized with mouthwash (Listerine, if I never smell you again, it will be too soon).

But, a couple months have passed and I don’t even feel it anymore.

A week ago, it was time to torture my nose. In went the hoop. So far, so good. Still healing, but I like it. The guy who did it for me fit the hoop so it fits perfectly and it makes me happy.

Next…a bar is going through the top part of my ear. Three piercings should do it. I’ll be done for a while.

My sister believes it’s a mid-life crisis. I disagree. I was much more in crisis at 20 than I feel now. Now, I’m just comfortable enough to do something for myself and not give a damn about what other people think about it.

tough life.

tough life, my children have....indeed.

my first bedtime story.

…I’m quite happy to say.
That the Sneetches got really quite smart on that day.
The day they decided that Sneetches are Sneetches.
And no kind of Sneetch is the best on the beaches.
That day, all the Sneetches forgot about stars and whether
They had one, or not, upon thars.

I’ve known Jack could read for quite some time. He was an early reader, like I was. Tonight was the first night he’s had the patience and want to actually do the reading before bed. Each of the boys picked out their stories for the night, we read Charlie’s, and Goph’s and then Jack decided that he would read his for us. He sat in my lap and grabbed his choice (which was odd to me, because the Sneetches has never stood out as one of his favourites in his pile of Dr. Seuss books) and he started to read. He was confident and steady and nothing tripped him – not peculiar machine, nor wondrous contraption, not even Sylvester McMonkey McBean.

Tonight I was so proud of him. And so hopeful that he will decide that he loves to read and has the ability to escape through books, just like his mom has always done. And tonight, yet again, as any parent can attest to – another one of those ‘has-this-time-come-already?’ moments came and passed.

Makes me glad that most nights we take the time for bedtime stories. Makes me glad that they like the stories I remember from my early reading days. Makes me sad that the days of Dr. Seuss are numbered, but I guess Harry Potter comes next, and I can certainly be excited about that.

thinking about taking a little drive.

my husband and i have been toying with the idea of a cultural experience for the family. we’re thinking about taking a little drive. and by little drive, i mean a very big drive. my husband says it could technically be done in 18 days. i say 6 weeks.

starting from our house, we want to travel across canada going west, get to BC and turn south, get to california, go east a bit, hit florida and start north until the maritimes and then head west towards home again.

are we crazy? possibly. would it be fun? absolutely. would we ever forget it? no chance. and with the technology of today, i could blog, share, facebook and tweet. our friends could almost join us. and as long as i could connect to the internet, i could still work. my clients would barely know i was gone. it could be perfect.

so, i found a map and printed it spanning 4 sheets of paper. Jack started colouring. i’m teaching him where canada starts and ends, where the united states is and where we could drive. we’ve also started mapping out the can’t miss destinations along the way. just thinking about it (and what it could mean for next summer) is exciting!

so, the budget, i will be leaving to my husband….the special spots are my focus. here’s what i’ve come up with so far:

in Canada:
rocky mountains
prairies
wale watching
dinosaur museum
vancouver aquarium
old quebec

in the states:
hollywood sign
mann’s chinese theatre
madame tussaud’s
grand canyon
las vegas strip
bouron street
rainbow bridge
san diego zoo
statue of liberty
ellis island
alcatraz
disney
seaworld
bush gardens
mt  rushmore
broadway
graceland
grand ole opry

that’s my start of ‘major destinations’. i have to research the biggest ball of twine and other fantastic photo opportunities, but right now i’m concentrating on the big stuff.

so…what am i missing? comment….[please]….let me know. sure, it’s just a dream in early planning stages right now, but it’s kind of fun to think about, don’t you agree?

30.

It’s been a very long time since I’ve been big on birthdays.

At 814pm this evening, it’s official. I’ll enter my 30th year. I don’t know how I got here. I distinctly remember thinking as a child that turning 30 was SO FAR away. That it would NEVER happen. That really doesn’t seem like that long ago. It’s here and I’m doing my very best to take a deep breath, accept it and move on.

I feel a little old. What’s funny, is I’ll feel even older when my younger sisters’ birthdays pass. One in a week and one in February. Those days hit me hard too. As do the yearly celebrations of my own children. I think it’s the passing of time. The moments that are gone, the time that can’t be done over. I know it’s such a cynical look, but I can’t deny how I feel, how I’ve felt since I crumbled on the floor on my 20th birthday. Once I got to 17, I wasn’t in a huge rush to be able to write down the higher numbers when asked my age.

At 30, there is plenty to be proud of, happy about and to look forward to, and I am. I am blessed with my boys, all four of them. I have a lovely home, a fulfilling job and a husband I love. I have friends I care about and who care about me. I continue to discover who I am and I’m working up the courage to chase some of the dreams that remain running wild.

As I type this, I’ve got 14 minutes left of 29. I wonder how my parents feel. I was their first. I wonder what’s coming next. Good things, I hope.

Michael made me a cake. Sitting on top of the best cake I’ve ever tasted is Eeyore. He’s my favourite. And, it said, “Sometimes if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the river slipping slowly away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to be known”

oh bother...

I don’t like it when people label Eeyore as depressing and pessimistic. I think he’s wise and without sugar-coating. He reminds me of Pop [my grandfather] and that makes my heart happy.

rainbow cake.

Jack’s birthday party was this past weekend. He wanted a big box and a rainbow cake. He got them both.

Daddy made him a spectacular cake, though it was an incomplete rainbow, as pointed out by Jack, missing the yellow layer, but it passed inspection just the same. And, we had lovely rainbow cupcakes on the day of his actual birthday too, so he let it slide.

We had a bouncy castle, a cotton candy machine and lots of friends and we ended the night with a bath in the big tub and some naked kids. Perfect in my books!

Now, we’ve just got to get our hands on a cotton candy machine that we get to keep. I haven’t seen my husband that giddy in a very long time!

not a baby anymore.

Jack turned six on Sunday.

I remember everything about bringing him into the world. Everything from my water breaking to getting into an argument at the dog park, to the drive to meet Michael with my friend, Stacey. I remember stopping at Aunt Carolyne’s before the hospital. I remember the people who love me in the delivery room.

I remember the pain and the process. I remember the moment that passed when I didn’t want to be touched or talked to anymore.

And, I remember Jack coming into the world.

He made me a mommy. He made us a family. Life had forever changed.

Today, he’s a sensitive little being. A worrier. A germaphobe. He likes order and reason. He’s very, very smart. He does not let anything go. He values his hugs and kisses. He charges me for rights to the books he makes.

He is growing up faster than I ever thought possible.

For his birthday, all he wanted was rainbow cupcakes and a big box. He’s not that difficult to please. He loves rainbows. I think it’s because there is order in them. Ever colour has its place. They are predictable. The cake Michael is making him for his birthday party is going to be a rainbow cake. There are diagrams.

There were so many firsts with Jack. There will continue to be. This is the first 6th birthday we’ve been through. The first birthday that says, “I’m not a little boy anymore”. He’s happier about it than I am.

how the boys start their day....mommy and daddy out, boys in.

rainbow cupcakes

birthday boy.

’twas the night before school.

my baby boys.

School starts tomorrow. Too soon for me. I don’t know where the summer went. I don’t know where these little boys came from either. My biggest will be in grade 1, my middle in jk and my baby has [finally?!] started talking. I hope the first two don’t have the anxiety that I used to have for school. I would agonize about going back. I didn’t like new things. I didn’t like being without what I knew as familiar. And we do our best to help with the transition. Puppy will be in Jack’s backpack and we’ll drive him to school tomorrow, get him in his class with his shoes changed and his backpack in its place. I think he’ll be ok. His whole SK class is together in grade 1. And Alex, my little social butterfly, though he may be a little shy and timid at first, I’m sure he’ll be fast friends with everybody by next week. He’s only got Wednesday to break into the new schedule this week. And, I can’t wait to hear all about my little boys’ adventures. I must admit though, I’d rather keep them home with me for a bit longer.

In preparation for the change in schedule, we didn’t do very much today. The four of us snuggled into mommy and daddy’s bed and watched a carebears movie that Jack had been waiting for in Disney Junior for a couple of weeks. We got out their hallowe’en costumes from last year and started the discussion about this year’s trick or treating. Mommy didn’t even get out of her pjs. We laughed at the dinner table (at things moms really shouldn’t laugh about – encouraging the silliness isn’t smart with little boys), they got clean and fresh in the tub and we’re going to attempt an 8:30pm bedtime. And tomorrow morning we’ll bring Jack to his first day of grade 1. And, we will miss him all day. And then Wednesday….two will be gone. That’s never happened before. And it’s happened too fast.

Parents, hug your children. Laugh with your children. Even on the days you want to sell them – embrace the silliness in it all. Because, sooner rather than later, I’m afraid….school will take them away.

happy anniversary to michael [and me]

happy.

married.

 

August 23, 2003 we got married. I was still 21 at the time (almost 22). We’ve been married for 8 years today. We’ve been through a lot so far. Too much, I think sometimes, more than we deserve. But so far, so good.

We’ve got busy lives and three busy boys.

The weather was beautiful and the day was crazy. What I remember the most is feeling happy. I wanted to marry him. Nothing else really mattered.

Would I do it all the same again. No. No, no, no. We would either go away somewhere hot and all-inclusive with as few or as many as could make it. Or we would have a tiny ceremony with just us, sign the paper and have a party. I would still be happy. I would still pick him. And, I guess…that’s really all that matters.  xxoo.

t.vice.

 Anyone who knows me at all understands that I LOVE to read. I mean, really love to read. Right now I’m reading both historical fiction by Philippa Gregory and Jeannette Walls’ second book. I almost never read more than one book at a time. The trouble this time is I was in-between and waiting for the next Gregory book to arrive from my ebay order and was given the other one during the down day or two.

Anyway…not the point of this blog.

My other love (one I am less proud of) is tv. I love me some television. More than movies, for sure. Especially the last few years – mostly because the originality seems to have left the big screen and all the adaptations fail miserably when compared to the books that have come before them.

So…tv.

What I MUST watch now.

House – I really enjoy it. Partly is because my husband likes it just as much as me (these shared interests are few).

Dexter – I didn’t watch this one from the beginning, but was given the first three seasons right after season 4 ended. I watched the first three and then bought season 4 and was all ready when 5 started.

Glee – If music doesn’t make you happy, there’s gotta be something wrong with you.

The Daily Show/The Colbert Report/Real Time with Bill Maher – They are all smart and I love these shows. On a side note – have you ever seen Stephen Colbert interview out of character? It’s crazy how good he is at his job!

Criminal Minds – If there’s a crime show to watch, this is mine. Not so big on re-runs though.
The ones I used to faithfully watch and now they’ve lost me (or have at least begun to).

Gossip Girl/One Tree Hill – between nutso storylines and destroying the relationships that make the most sense, meh. Maybe I’m growing up. HA!

CSI – Between Horatio’s sideways glance and sunglasses, and the loss of Grissam…I watch if there’s nothing else on, but not if it’s a re-run I’ve already seen.

Shows I grew up on.

Dawson’s Creek – I still remember discussing the show the following morning in the cafeteria at high school. I was always a huge supporter of Pacey + Joey. I remember missing those talks when I was away at college when the series ended and I had to cry with my new roommate. What was even crazier was when I met the real Jen Lindley while camping at Algonquin last summer. Flashbacks to the video for Amy. wow. heartbreaking stuff.

Friends – One of the best sit coms ever. Oh….if they ever do a reunion. There isn’t one episode that I can’t sit down and watch again for the who-knows-how-many-times.

Back to reality?…

16 and Pregnant / Teen Mom – Oh yes – must watch. All those broken condoms though – sounds like a lawsuit to me. With all the people I know who have to try so hard to conceive…these kids are something else. I love the ones who are trying though. Makes me hope that their babies have a chance in the world.

Hell’s Kitchen – Both me and my husband have worked in many kitchens, so we get a kick out of this one. And we’ve called EVERY winner from episode 3 or sooner.

Family Jewels – Gene Simmons and family. I’m entertained by the seeming normalcy of his kids and the cluelessness of himself.

The Amazing Race – I don’t have to catch every episode. But I’m more diligent in tuning in when there are teams who are familiar to me because of their past exploits on tv.

Tabatha’s Salon Takeover – I love Tabatha. Love her to bits.

Flipping Out – I don’t know if there are personalities more fun to watch than Jeff Lewis, Zueila and Jenny.

Shark Tank – I like seeing the crazy ideas and then seeing the Sharks fight amongst themselves. Enjoyable.

 The shows I lost too soon…

Life Unexpected – This little show didn’t get a chance. Had such lovely potential. You tube the final scene, you’ll understand what I mean.

Everwood – Amy, Bright, Hannah and Ephriam…quality characters, realistic storyline. I miss the ferris wheel.

The ones I miss…oh so much.

Friday Night Lights – It was the best show on TV. It ended beautifully and was loved by critics, just didn’t get the audience it deserved. Everyone who failed to tune in….you missed out BIG TIME. The cinematography was lovely, the characters were real, the relationships were worthy of investing in.

Boston Legal – Denny Crane and Alan Shore. (And Shirley, Jerry and Katie of course). The lines those characters delivered were so smart, so funny, so entertaining. I was upset when this one ended. I don’t come across shows that are this challenging and funny very often. It left a hole.

The shows I’m looking forward to.

Hart of Dixie – This may replace a little bit of the hole left from the ending of Life Unexpected and Everwood. Here’s hoping.

Franklin and Bash – Zack Morris and the stoner from Clueless. Lawyers. Yes, I’m in.

The shows I didn’t watch from the beginning and now I wish I did because I feel I’m missing out and won’t start watching now.

The Big Bang Theory – I found re-runs come on Comedy Central after The Daily Show and Colbert Report and I love them so much. So smart and funny. I hope the whole series comes to Netflix soon.

True Blood – I’ve heard that it’s wonderful, but I think I should read the books. Again – if it makes it to Netflix, it will be great to watch while working.

How I Met your Mother – Jason Segal and Neil Patrick Harris. I don’t know where I was when this series started…if only I knew then what I know now….

 

Maybe I watch too much tv – but without a built-in, there isn’t much else that allows me to escape. Chances are if I haven’t mentioned a show, I don’t watch it. Certainly not regularly. And like I said, I don’t start watching after something has already started. Not unless I have full access to all the episodes from the beginning forward. That’s just how I watch.